Acknowledging the huge chasm that exists between rural and urban communities – be it in levels of education and medical access or between aspirations and achievement – a new book offers real solutions to tackle these challenges using technologies of the future, including mobile-ready solutions driven by cloud and artificial intelligence (AI).
“Bridgital Nation: Solving Technology’s People Problem”, co-authored by Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and Roopa Purushothaman, Chief Economist and Head of Policy Advocacy, Tata Sons has been acquired by Penguin Random House India to be published under the Allen Lane imprint, known for advancing original and transformative ideas, and some of the most distinguished titles in serious non-fiction. It will be released in September 2019.
Using new digital technology to address some of the biggest challenges in the country – such as access to quality jobs, better healthcare and skill-based education – the authors examine unique and novel programmes that would connect Indians, creating a network of services to be delivered when and where they are most required.
From healthcare to education to business, the model can be applied in various sectors. By a conservative estimate, it could create and impact 30 million jobs by 2025, a statement said.
“The process of writing this book has further cemented my belief that the adoption of Bridgital-AI, Cloud and related technologies in a deliberate manner-is the 21st century answer to India”s, and to many of the developing world’s, most perpetual challenges. Bridgital thinking makes the most of what India has, and gives the country what it most needs.
“As a practitioner, the book’s structure reflects an effort to be closely connected to realities on the ground. In doing so, I hope this work will contribute to an educated and fruitful debate on India’s (as well as other countries’) growth and development path,” Natarajan Chandrasekaran said.
Written over the course of the past two years, the book “is filled with real-life narratives of people grappling with access and employment. It is also supported by numbers and analyses that ground the various stories in fact. The reality is, the future will be one of humans and technology working together. It’s this future India will have to anticipate and design for, keeping its young workforce, infrastructure, and linguistic and cultural diversity in mind”, Roopa Purushothaman said.
“We are thrilled to be bringing Chandrasekaran’s grand vision to the world in the form of this book. It will be published under the prestigious Allen Lane imprint, befitting a subject as significant as this. Chandrasekaran offers an ingenious solution to the coming disruption of AI, where India could emerge a world leader in transforming the path ahead,” Meru Gokhale, publisher of Penguin Press, Penguin Random House India, said.
“It has been a tremendous experience to work with Chandrasekaran and Roopa Purushothaman on this project. It is like being part of a huge transformation we all are about to witness that will overturn many presumptions. This ground-breaking vision is set to change the narrative of India’s future policies and influence a whole host of sectors,” Richa Burman, Associate Commissioning Editor for Penguin Press, Penguin Random House India, said.
