Microsoft drives AI in India with the help of 650 partners

At its AI for All Conference in Bengaluru, Microsoft India has showcased some of its most recent artificial intelligence (AI) solutions aimed at helping improve lives and transform businesses. Microsoft India said it is helping 650 India-based partners use the Microsoft cognitive services, IoT, AI and machine learning platforms to build solutions for India. Over the last year, Microsoft and its partners have deployed AI solutions in areas such as healthcare, education, agriculture, retail, e-commerce, manufacturing and financial services. Microsoft has also announced a partnership with Forus Health, a Bengaluru-based technology company focusing on retinal imaging devices, to leverage AI capabilities for early detection of diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma & macular degeneration, and help reduce avoidable blindness.

“We are working closely with our partners to bring AI to all sectors in India,” said Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India. “The intersection of AI with people and society presents an incredible opportunity to create a lasting, positive impact on the world and in India. Our partners are creating inclusive solutions designed to solve local societal and business problems.”

As part of Microsoft AI Network for Healthcare, Microsoft and Forus have worked together to integrate AI-based retinal imaging APIs into Forus Health’s 3Nethra devices using Microsoft Azure IoT Suite. This will help Forus technicians identify eye fundus images as well as disease conditions better. 3Nethra devices, which can be operated by minimally trained technicians, are deployed across over 20countries and have so far touched more than two million patients.

Microsoft partners and customers in India are using and/or offering AI-based solutions across scenarios including customer segmentation and life time value assessment, demands forecasting, multifactor customer identification system (face, biometric and speech), Omni channel analytics, fraud detection and credit risk assessment, and remote monitoring amongst others.

The AI for All conference saw participation from industry representatives from across healthcare, automotive, IT and IT-enabled services, among others. The event featured discussions about the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI), and how this can be used to augment human ingenuity. The one-day conference also included a Design Thinking Workshop around AI.