Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, on Wednesday inaugurated the “Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence, Skill Development, and Innovation” at Graphic Era (Deemed to be University) in Dehradun. Calling for integrity in technology use, he warned that artificial intelligence (AI) can create “miracles” when used judiciously but also carries risks of misuse through deepfakes and misinformation.

“Integrity has no technological substitute,” the Minister said, urging students and researchers to treat AI as a complement to human intelligence rather than a replacement. He advocated a hybrid model blending technology with human judgment to ensure accountability and ethics in innovation.

Spread over 1.5 lakh sq. ft., the new Centre is the first of its kind in Uttarakhand and includes an Apple iOS Development Centre—set up in collaboration with Apple and Infosys—and the state’s first NVIDIA AI and High-Performance Computing facility powered by an NVIDIA DGX B200 system. Built at a cost of over ?10 crore, the facility will drive research and innovation in areas such as healthcare, agriculture, environment, smart cities and advanced industries.

Graphic Era University, ranked 48th in the NIRF 2025 rankings and accredited A+ by NAAC, is also India’s first Generative AI Ready Campus powered by AWS. The university said the Centre will act as a national hub for research, skill development and entrepreneurship aligned with Digital India, Startup India and Skill India missions.

Citing examples from his initiatives, Dr. Singh highlighted AI-enabled telemedicine vans providing healthcare to rural villages and emphasised that AI could enhance governance efficiency, including grievance redressal, but warned that accountability must guide its deployment.

He noted India’s rapid rise from being a late adopter of technologies to a leader in space exploration and quantum research. Linking academia, industry and startups is vital for sustaining this momentum, he said. “Only when we combine innovation with honesty can we truly shape India’s digital future,” the Minister concluded.