At present, AI is affecting one of the world's oldest languages, Sanskrit. To combine modern technology and traditional knowledge systems of India, Central Sanskrit University has made available a B.Tech degree in AI (artificial intelligence) and Data Science for the first time ever.
The new programme aims to encourage research into Indian Languages, Ancient texts, and Cultural Knowledge, as well as to prepare students with cutting edge technology skills and knowledge; Classes will begin on the Nashik campus of the university in the 2026-2027 academic year.
This course is one of the first engineering courses offered by a Sanskrit university in India, and it has been approved by AICTE.
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, mentioned this initiative during his Mann Ki Baat address. As per the Prime Minister, this initiative will help children stay connected with India's culture and past while developing valuable skill sets for the future.
This initiative is expected to help the digitization of old manuscripts and texts and creating AI-based tools for Indian languages.
AI To Help Preserve Ancient Texts
A lot of the manuscripts that comprise the major ancient Sanskrit and other manuscripts that are within India's vast collection are not digitised or translated. Utilising AI technology can assist with digital archiving, translating language, searching for information, and identifying ancient documents.
Through this course, students will learn about the application of AI to research and preserve traditional knowledge of India.
Course Details
There will be 66 places available in the B.Tech Artificial Intelligence and Data Science program, comprising 60 ordinary seats and 6 supernumerary seats.
The course will cover topics like:
- Artificial Intelligence
- The use of machines
- Data Science
- Programming in Python
- Cloud computing
- Data
- Deep Learning
Students will also explore different areas of study like OCR for early manuscripts and OCR in general, computational linguistics, NLP, speech recognition, and conversational AI for their specialized studies as part of the curriculum.
The curriculum will also give students the opportunity to study how AI can be integrated with Indian knowledge systems to study these areas of study (Ayurveda, yoga, jyotisha, vastushastra, and Nyaya) through application-based learning.
