Women in Machine Learning and Data Science to hold special session on AI on March 14 at Baner

In response to the growing global conversations around artificial intelligence following the recently concluded AI Impact Summit held from February 16 to 20 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, the WiMLDS (Women in Machine Learning and Data Science) Pune community, active in the city for over last eight years, is organising a special community discussion on March 14 at 2:00 PM at Mindbowser, Baner, to bring the learning and experiences of the summit to the Pune ecosystem.

The summit, considered the first-of-its-kind global gathering on AI impact hosted by the Government of India, brings together participants from nearly 99 countries, featured around 700 exhibitors, 2,50,000 participants, and hosted leaders from governments, global technology companies, startups, academia, and research institutions to deliberate on the evolving role of artificial intelligence in society, economy, governance, and geopolitics.

With rapid advancements in generative AI tools and foundation models, the event sparked widespread discussions about the opportunities and challenges associated with AI, including concerns around job transformation, the future of software development, and the implications for India’s largely service-driven IT sector.

The summit also took place at a time when global geopolitics is being reshaped by shifting trade relations, regional conflicts, and the accelerating race for leadership in AI technology, making the conversation around AI development, infrastructure, and governance increasingly strategic for nations.

“As many professionals, students, and industry members inPunecould not attend the summit in person, WiMLDS Pune is hosting this session to share ground-level perspectives beyond headlines, bringing together participants who attended the summit as delegates, speakers, startup exhibitors, or closely followed the sessions through live broadcasts and discussions,” Sucheta Dhere, founder of Women in Machine Learning and Data Science, Pune said.

The interactive session will explore key signals emerging from governments, international delegations, and global technology leaders such as OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, and Meta, as well as insights from startups who participated in the expo.

Discussions will also examine how different countries and companies are approaching AI development, democratization, and infrastructure, including debates around the high cost of computing resources such as GPUs required for training large models, questions of data sovereignty, access to AI infrastructure, and whether India will emerge as a developer of foundational AI technologies or remain largely a consumer of global innovations.

The session will focus on the “real-world implications of AI across multiple levels—individual careers, businesses, startups, the IT services sector, public policy, and society at large” while helping participants understand what skills, mindsets, and strategies may be required to navigate the next phase of AI transformation.

The event will also serve as a platform for the Pune community to collectively reflect on these developments and help shape the direction of WiMLDS Pune’s learning initiatives, workshops, community programs, and collaborative projects planned for 2026.

The session is free and open to all genders.