Technovate for India rides the technological wave at Pondicherry

Building on its Chennai debut, Technovate for India continued in Pondicherry, renowned for its rich cultural heritage and status as a top tourist destination. The event, held in association with the Times of India, celebrated innovation and strengthened India’s startup ecosystem.
Since 2015, TALROP has worked to bridge the gap between India’s emerging talent and the industries that can grow as a result of their contributions. Run in association with the Times of India, Technovate for India aims to foster a new, burgeoning wave of technological innovation, strengthening India’s already robust startup ecosystem.

Keynote insights from Dr B Ravindran
Dr B Ravindran, an authority on AI with decades of experience, spoke on AI's transformative impact across industries. A pioneer in AI regulation and education, he emphasiSed the ubiquity of AI, its ethical implications, and its potential to co-pilot sectors like healthcare, education, and business.
His extensive credentials include founding roles at the Wadhwani School of Data Science, the Robert Bosch Center for Data Science and AI, and the Centre for Responsible AI at IIT Madras. He is also a Mindtree Faculty Fellow and has held visiting positions at IISc Bangalore and the University of Technology, Sydney.

Dr Ravindran’s contributions extend to advisory roles with the Government of India on AI's defense applications, the AI for India 2030 initiative for the World Economic Forum, and shaping AI regulations. His academic output includes over 150 papers, editorial board roles for leading journals, and designing cutting-edge degree programmes at IIT Madras.
Highlighting the need for context-specific solutions, he underscored India's unique challenges and opportunities in AI adoption.
AI: An integral part of life today and part of the hype
Dr Ravindran emphasised the pervasive influence of AI across the board, stating, “Whether it’s a shopping app or travelling on the roads, AI affects everything you do.” He referenced this year’s Nobel Prize winners in Physics and Chemistry, both of whom leveraged AI, underscoring its impact on science and society.
He also discussed the “AI hype cycle,” where emerging technologies initially spark inflated expectations, often leading to disillusionment before settling into realistic and practical applications. Dr Ravindran stressed balancing excitement with grounded expectations to ensure sustainable development.

The controlled AI environment and its real-world challenges
A large number of the applications and developments around AI, Dr. Ravindran discussed, were and have been done in a controlled environment, but a number of these solutions are employed in real life situations, for instance the use of medical AI tools in real hospitals.
Dr Ravindran spoke about the gap between the use cases of tools in laboratory conditions and expectations, what results in the field actually showed, and the fact that often, the AI tools needed for a situation do not necessarily “don’t quite match what we wanted to do…” with them.
He highlighted gaps between AI tools developed in controlled environments and their real-world applications, such as medical AI in hospitals. He encouraged embracing this "revolutionary time" akin to the industrial revolution and adopting tools like ChatGPT for learning and productivity.

What does the future hold with Augmented Intelligence?
“Everything is going to change,” said Dr Ravindran. “Whether it be education, agriculture, healthcare, or even language.” Mentioning how AI can help overcome language barriers, Dr Ravindran explained how it would also result in magnifying the efficiency of pan-India and state government machinery. Several states like Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra and Gujarat among them, have already begun to roll out AI in their services, too.
Generative AI in a unique Indian context
A key statistic shared by Dr Ravindran mentioned that LLMs emit as much carbon dioxide as 5 billion U.S. cross-country flights - in a single year.
He discussed the ideal allocation of resources for a country such as India, and the logistics of resource allocation in that context.
Pointing out the significant gaps that exist in how data models represent Indian culture, Dr Ravindran brought up prompts of “Indian Man”, “Indian Woman”, “Indian Home”, and more that often reflected not just incomplete but stereotypical depictions. The need for accurate, diverse datasets needed to reflect realities in India is key, he said.
The problem statement:
Renowned for its beaches, cultural heritage and coastal attractions, Pondicherry attracts a significant influx of both domestic and international tourists.
At the Technovate for India Pondicherry conclave, students were presented with a problem commonly faced by visitors to the popular Indian tourist destination.
One of India’s most well-known coastal attractions, Pondicherry draws many domestic and international tourists each year. However, visitors often face challenges in accessing centralised, real-time information, impacting their experience.
“Tourists visiting Pondicherry struggle to access real-time, centralised information about attractions, accommodations, events, dining and local transport. This leads to fragmented experiences, making it challenging to explore the true essence of Pondicherry.”
Tasked with finding solutions to this issue, students came up with a diverse array of solutions, from databases to applications and more.
The Winning Solution - A Smart Tourism Solution for Pondicherry
The winning team from Puducherry Technological University - Rahul Kumar and Sarthak Sudhansu, took their learnings from a Malaga, Spain, Smart Tourism model, adapting it to the unique needs of Pondicherry as a tourist destination.
Pondicherry’s rich cultural heritage and the beautiful beaches, team PTU said, were one part of what makes the city a tourist favourite, but something that also presented unique problems - overcrowding, limited availability of real-time information, and the environmental impact of the trip, a key factor that might affect the quality of the trip.
Their solution featured:
The team of Sarthak and Rahul proposed a comprehensive smart tourism model to transform Pondicherry into a more efficient, tourist-friendly destination. Their solution centers on a mobile app that provides real-time information on traffic, the availability of public transit and transport, helping tourists plan their itineraries better.
The app would also send notifications about cultural events and local activities, creating a more interactive experience.
To scale tourism effectively, the app includes live language translation and cultural guides, bridging communication gaps between tourists and locals, aiding with signage comprehension
Their model incorporates environmental monitoring using drones to mitigate safety hazards like strong currents and overcrowding, ensuring a safer tourist experience. Smart-coded buoys and public displays would provide real-time updates on weather and water safety, crucial for Pondicherry’s coastal attractions.
The proposal also focuses on sustainable practices, including optimising waste management systems to maintain cleanliness. By integrating smart solutions for transportation, accommodations, and local communication, the team envisions a seamless tourist experience that supports efficient city management. This forward-thinking approach not only enhances visitor satisfaction but also aligns with sustainable tourism, benefitting both the local community and the environment.
Disclaimer: This article has been produced on behalf of Technovate for India, a collaborative initiative of Talrop and The Times of India, by Times Internet's team