New Delhi: The Centre of AI for Manufacturing initiative was announced following an MoU exchange between IIT Bombay and Columbia University during the Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam.
The partnership aims to establish a Centre of AI for Manufacturing at IIT Bombay, strengthening global academic collaboration in artificial intelligence-driven industrial innovation.
The conclave was addressed by Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan in the presence of Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar. During the event, Pradhan launched the Bodhan AI Centre of Excellence.
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Centre of AI for Manufacturing Announced Alongside Major AI Education Initiatives
The Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 has been envisioned as a national platform for landscape discovery, strategic alignment, and partnership-building in AI-enabled education.
Its primary objectives include:
- Enabling ecosystem mapping to identify gaps and opportunities
- Supporting partnerships across government, academia, startups, and industry
Initiating development of the Bharat EduAI Stack – an open and interoperable architecture for AI-powered learning solutions
The conclave focuses on four priority verticals:
- AI for School Education
- AI for Higher Education
- AI for Skilling and Workforce Readiness
- AI Research and Deep Technology
Speaking at the event, Dharmendra Pradhan said the two-day conclave brings together academia, industry, policymakers, startups, innovators, scientific leadership, and the skilling ecosystem to integrate AI in education at scale and develop the Bharat EduAI Stack.
Pradhan underlined that India’s AI will be inclusive by design, interoperable by architecture, and sovereign by capability.
He stressed embedding AI in education to empower students and support teachers while building responsible and India-centric sovereign AI models aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Sukanta Majumdar highlighted the importance of S.A.F.E. AI – Secure, Accountable, Fair, and Empowering – as India moves toward the India-AI Impact Summit 2026.
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Centre of AI for Manufacturing Announced Alongwith Other Initiatives
- MoU between IIT Bombay and Columbia University to establish the Centre of AI for Manufacturing
- Launch of the AI Programme by IIM Lucknow
- Institutional collaborations involving IIM Jammu and AIT Bangkok
“Teaching with AI” initiative by IIM Ranchi
A special session was conducted on Bodhan.ai, the AI Centre of Excellence for Education at IIT Madras. A presentation highlighted the need for building an open Bharat EduAI Stack. Pratyush Kumar, CEO of Sarvam AI, also addressed the gathering and spoke about the future of AI in education.
Two technical sessions followed:
Technical Session 1: School Education & Classroom Solutions
Moderated by Vibhu Mittal, CTO of Inflection AI, the session featured speakers from organisations including Khan Academy, Vedantu, Rocket Learning, CK-12 Foundation, iDream Education, LEAD Group, Arivihan, Learning Matters, and Eckovation.
Technical Session 2: Teacher Capacity Building, FLN & Systemic Reform
Moderated by Prakash Kumar, CEO of Wadhwani Centre for Government Digital Transformation, the session included speakers from EkStep Foundation, Language & Learning Foundation, Sampark Foundation, Madhi Foundation, TCS Foundation, and Vidya Shakti.
