Guwahati, March 8: The 5th International Virtual Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Interdisciplinary Studies, hosted by Deviprasad Goenka Management College of Media Studies, Mumbai, kicked off on Friday, bringing together leading academics, policymakers, and industry experts to explore the transformative potential of AI across diverse sectors.
Among the standout presentations was an impactful address by Dr. Aniruddha Babar, a distinguished academician, writer, researcher, and Director of Project Constitutional Justice – A People’s Initiative, Tuensang, Nagaland.
Speaking from a remote Indo-Myanmar border location, Dr. Babar presented a thought-provoking session titled “Strategic Framework on Law, Policy, and Governance for Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Sustainable Development: A Perspective on Eastern Nagaland.”
Dr. Babar’s address delved into the intersection of AI, constitutional justice, and ethical governance, advocating for AI’s equitable deployment in marginalized regions like Eastern Nagaland. He emphasized that AI should not be an urban luxury but a transformative tool to bridge socio-economic divides.
“Without ethical safeguards, AI could deepen inequalities rather than resolve them. We must ensure technology serves as an instrument of empowerment, not exclusion,” Dr. Babar asserted.
His strategic framework called for robust legislative measures to prevent AI from exacerbating inequality, AI-driven education to expand digital learning access in remote areas, AI-powered telemedicine to revolutionize rural healthcare and AI-integrated agricultural analytics to optimize irrigation and farming.
Linking AI governance to the Frontier Nagaland Movement, Dr Babar argued that technology must play a pivotal role in ensuring justice and equitable governance. AI could support transparent resource allocation to prevent marginalization, preservation of indigenous culture through digital documentation, strengthening of grassroots democracy via AI-driven public engagement tools.
Dr. Babar’s recommendations to state and central governments included targeted investment in digital infrastructure to bridge the rural-urban digital divide, integration of AI-based learning programs into state curricula, establishment of AI research hubs in the Northeast to develop region-specific solutions and public-private partnerships to ensure ethical AI deployment.
The conference panel, featuring Ravindra Bhandi (Outpost VFX), Dr. C. Babu (Durgadevi Saraf Institute of Management Studies), and cyber expert Ritesh Bhatia, explored AI’s ethical dilemmas, interdisciplinary applications, and policy challenges. Professor Dr. Nestor T. Castro from the University of the Philippines delivered the keynote address, reinforcing the urgent need for AI policies grounded in justice and inclusion.
As the conference moves into its second day, discussions will expand into AI’s impact on journalism, finance, healthcare, and education. However, Dr. Babar’s presentation has set a powerful precedent, ensuring that AI discourse does not focus solely on efficiency—but on justice, equity, and human dignity.
With AI increasingly shaping the world, Eastern Nagaland’s inclusion in this global dialogue underscores the necessity of grassroots advocacy in the tech revolution. The conversation is no longer just about AI’s capabilities—but about its profound responsibility toward shaping a just and inclusive future for all.
