Next-Gen Networks & Deployable AI: Global Conference Opens at MNNIT Prayagraj

A Meeting of Minds in Prayagraj

The NGNDAI-2025 International Conference opened this week at Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) Prayagraj, bringing together researchers, academics, and industry leaders to chart the future of next-generation networks and deployable AI.

Over three days, participants are set to engage in high-level talks, paper presentations, and roundtables aimed at bridging lab innovations with real-world applications in telecom, mobility, and public services. The gathering underscores India’s growing role in shaping the AI + network convergence narrative globally.

Opening Highlights: Foundation Models and Multimodal AI

Day one featured two standout keynote talks:

Dr. Aditya Nigam (IIT Mandi): Spoke on the efficient adaptation of foundation models, focusing on techniques to reduce compute costs while preserving accuracy.
Prof. Girija Chetty: Delivered a session on multimodal generative AI, outlining opportunities in healthcare, education, and media, alongside risks of bias and misuse.

Both highlighted the urgent need for deployable solutions that balance innovation with responsibility.

Research Papers: 30+ Studies Presented

Over 30 peer-reviewed papers were presented across technical tracks, covering:

Edge Inference: Optimizing AI models for deployment on lightweight devices.
Privacy-Preserving Training: Ensuring sensitive datasets remain secure while training large models.
AI-Native Communications: Embedding generative AI into network protocols to optimize routing, latency, and energy use.

These sessions reflected the cutting edge of AI research being localized to India’s unique challenges and opportunities.

Industry Connect: From Labs to Field Deployment

Organizers emphasized the conference’s theme of translation into practice. Sessions featured discussions on:

Telecom Networks: Using AI-native architectures for 6G and beyond.
Mobility Solutions: AI-driven traffic optimization and autonomous systems.
Public Services: Smart governance applications like grievance redressal, real-time translation, and citizen services.

Executives noted that industry-academia collaboration is crucial to accelerate adoption while maintaining safety and cost efficiency.

India’s Context: Building Large Models, Safely

The conference coincides with India’s parallel national push to:

Develop frontier-scale AI models with trillions of parameters.
Establish safety and evaluation frameworks to monitor bias, toxicity, and misuse.
Expand compute infrastructure for both research and startups.

This makes NGNDAI-2025 a timely platform for aligning policy, technology, and industry needs.

Cultural Exchange and Roundtables

Beyond academic sessions, the event featured:

Cultural Performances showcasing Prayagraj’s heritage, offering delegates a flavor of India’s diversity.
Industry Roundtables with telecom majors, AI startups, and regulators discussing deployment roadmaps and compliance frameworks.

Proceedings are expected to be published publicly after the conference, providing a knowledge resource for the wider AI and network community.

Expert Takeaways

Experts summed up the conference’s first day with three themes:

Efficiency is Non-Negotiable: Foundation models must be adapted for India’s resource contexts.
Multimodal AI Is the Future: Applications across speech, vision, and text will dominate innovation cycles.
Deployability Equals Trust: Without transparent, field-ready architectures, AI’s promise risks stalling.

Conclusion: Toward Deployable AI Futures

The NGNDAI-2025 conference at MNNIT Prayagraj is more than an academic showcase—it is a call to action for aligning cutting-edge AI and network research with practical, scalable, and ethical deployments.

As discussions continue, the outcomes could shape not only India’s AI journey but also its contribution to the global discourse on responsible innovation.

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