Former
West Bengal governor urges universities to treat AI as an instrument, not a
master, and produce ideal citizens not mere graduates
Bengaluru,
August 10, 2026 : After gains in making education accountable,
India must now confront the quality of learning as AI-enabled shortcuts
threaten students’ ability to think independently, former West Bengal
governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi said at Vidyashilp University’s first
convocation.
“A
great victory has been achieved in making education accountable,” Gandhi said,
“but there is something else called the quality of education.”
“Our
ability to think for ourselves is being benumbed by the automatic availability
of digital, cyber and artificially created options,” he said. “That is not
education. It is deception. You have to be very conscious of this.”
Gandhi
said AI should be regarded “not as a master, only as an instrument” and urged
students to “let education come from life, not its artificial equivalent.” He
also called on universities to help students develop the ability to reason and
the spirit of democracy, and to produce ideal citizens, not merely ideal
graduates.
Reflecting
on Karnataka’s legacy, Gandhi told the graduates, “What a privilege it is for
you to belong to the state of Karnataka.” Marking National Handloom Day, he
invoked Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay’s contribution to the freedom movement and her
commitment to handlooms, gender equity, gender justice and human rights.
He
also referred to constitutional adviser B. N. Rau and Justice K. S. Hegde,
adding, “Becoming guardians of the Constitution is a responsibility that
automatically comes to you today.”
The
university conferred undergraduate degrees at a ceremony held on August 7 at
the Dr. P. Dayananda Pai Auditorium, Vidyashilp Academy, Bengaluru.
The
graduating cohort comprised 42 students from the School of Engineering and
Technology, 21 from the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, five from the
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and two from the School of Design.
Aman
Kumar, who secured the highest CGPA in the B.Tech (Hons.) Computer Science and
Engineering (Data Science) programme, received the Chancellor’s Medal and
delivered the valedictory address.
The
graduating cohort’s work also included AI applications designed for public
systems. Aman Kumar and Amar Singh received special recognition from the jury
for an AI and machine-learning system that converts voice complaints into
categorised tickets, designed to help Indian Railways process customer
grievances. Olavu Chaluvaraju, Shreya Bikshavarthy Math and Joshitha S
developed a predictive AI model for GST analytics during a national hackathon.
Vice-Chancellor
Prof. P. G. Babu said the university had designed its
curriculum to prevent disciplinary silos. “At VU, our interdisciplinary way of
teaching is our greatest strength. Our students do not study in silos,” he
said.
The
university’s academic model combines a liberal arts core with majors, minors
and interdisciplinary centres, allowing students to connect fields including
AI, psychology, economics, law, finance, design and data science.
Addressing
the graduating students, Chancellor Dr. P. Dayananda Pai urged them to
become self-reliant, create jobs and remain relevant as the nature of work
changes. He said their aim should not simply be to consume knowledge, but to
create knowledge and new forms of thinking.
Dr.
Pai said Vidyashilp University had grown from 70 students in 2022 to
approximately 650 students, while its faculty strength had increased from 22 to
82 and its staff from 23 to 170. Around 70 per cent of its faculty members now
hold PhDs, he said.
The
ceremony was also attended by Pro-Chancellor Dr. Kiran Pai, Registrar T. R.
Ramakrishnan, members of the Board of Governors and Academic Council, faculty,
students, parents and other guests.
About
Vidyashilp University
Vidyashilp
University is a multidisciplinary university in Bengaluru with schools of
Engineering and Technology, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Law, Business and
Entrepreneurship, and Design. Its academic model combines disciplinary depth
with a liberal arts core, interdisciplinary centres, applied research and
public-facing initiatives.