ENGINEERING IN THE AGE OF AI

How are campuses bracing for the impact of rapidly changing technologies, and how they themselves are shaping the narrative

- Meha Mathur

The large-scale lay-offs by large corporates, especially in IT and software development, coupled with the incursion of AI in workplaces, signals hard times for engineers too. Bright minds who would have joined the mega race of cracking IIT-JEE since high school, foregoing fun that other peers would have been part of, along with parents who would have shelled out substantial amounts for much sought-after tuition centres and for college education, might be spending anxious moments as they are about to enter the job market and companies announce a freeze. Add to that the reports that have been published over the years by different agencies, revealing how engineering passouts are unemployable.

Also, the growing awareness about scores of avenues other than engineering and medicine available to students would make one think that the popularity of engineering discipline is waning. But looking at the total number of registrations for IIT-JEE this year – 11.62 lakh – that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Engineering colleges, led by IIT Bombay, IIT Madras and IIT Delhi continue to be among the most coveted campuses for science students, followed by legacy institutes IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Roorkee, IIT BHU and IIT Guwahati. The demand for quality education being exponentially high, several private universities and institutes have stepped in, often more in tandem with 21st Century industry needs on account of healthy industry connects and ability to pay handsomely to faculty and invest in latest infrastructure.

Impact of Engineering Institutes