IIT Kharagpur To Establish India’s First Physical AI School

IIT Kharagpur will establish India’s first dedicated academic school focused on Physical Artificial Intelligence (AI), with an investment of Rs 35 crore, to advance interdisciplinary education and research in emerging AI technologies.Benjamin Gupta School To House AI DepartmentThe Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI will be established under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by IIT Kharagpur, its distinguished alumnus and philanthropist Vinod Gupta, and the IITKGP Foundation USA, according to an institute statement.The project will receive Rs 12.5 crore from the Vinod Gupta family and Rs 10 crore from an anonymous alumnus, with IIT Kharagpur funding the remaining amount. The school is named in memory of Benjamin Gupta, the late son of Vinod Gupta.The school will house the Department of Artificial Intelligence and support interdisciplinary academic programmes and research activities.Courses To Cover Robotics, Autonomous Systems And Scientific AIUnlike conventional AI, which primarily focuses on data, algorithms and digital applications, Physical AI involves developing intelligent systems capable of understanding and interacting with the physical world through scientific principles, real-world sensing and intelligent control.Its research areas will include physics-informed machine learning, scientific AI, digital twins, intelligent robotics, autonomous systems, advanced sensing and AI-enabled experimentation.The initiative aims to develop reliable, explainable and responsible AI technologies, particularly for safety-critical applications that require physical accuracy, robustness and accountability.Academic Programmes To Begin Subject To ApprovalsAcademic programmes are expected to begin in the upcoming session, subject to necessary approvals. They will cater to students, researchers and working professionals from engineering, physical sciences, life sciences and medicine, with an emphasis on combining domain expertise with contemporary AI capabilities.IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty said the school aims to position the institute at the forefront of India’s transition towards Physical AI.He added that the initiative would move beyond treating AI as a black-box solution and encourage professionals to combine algorithmic capabilities with fundamental scientific and domain-specific knowledge.The school will also bring together academic institutions, industry, healthcare organisations, research laboratories, startups and international partners to accelerate research, technology development and professional reskilling.