Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held a high-level virtual discussion on Monday with IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, discussing the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum computing with education, research, and innovation in India.

The discussion revolved around how IBM can collaborate with the ministry to advance the Prime Minister's vision of universalising AI education in India and developing a strong talent pipeline for emerging and critical technologies such as quantum computing.

Pradhan emphasised that the goal is to make advanced learning modules accessible beyond premier institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), extending them to students in remote colleges across the country, Jagran Josh reports.

The interaction also saw participation from other senior officials, including Ambassador Vinay Srikant Pradhan and leaders from institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, underlining the wide-ranging nature of the proposed collaboration.

The partnership between the Ministry of Education and IBM is expected to be formalised soon, with both sides agreeing to speed up groundwork for curriculum integration and capacity-building in AI.

The move builds on earlier government efforts to foster indigenous AI development. In October 2024, the Ministry announced three Centres of Excellence in AI, focusing on healthcare, agriculture and sustainable cities.