As artificial intelligence and digital technologies transform economies and everyday life, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Tuesday urged graduating students of the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi) to ensure that technological innovation remains rooted in ethical values and addresses the needs of society. Addressing the institute’s 15th convocation ceremony, Sandhu said engineers, researchers and technology professionals must understand that their decisions could affect millions of people. He stressed that technological advancement should be accompanied by attention to privacy, inclusion and accessibility, along with an understanding of the wider consequences of innovation.
He said the graduating students were entering the professional world at a significant time, when artificial intelligence, advanced computing and digital technologies were changing almost every aspect of human life. While these developments offered considerable opportunities, they also placed greater responsibility on those creating and deploying new technologies.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the country, Sandhu quoted him as saying that the combination of talent, temperament and technology would transform India’s future. He told the students that their technical abilities, independent thinking and innovative ideas could contribute to this national objective.
Sandhu also cautioned the graduates against treating their degrees as the final stage of learning. With technologies evolving, professions changing and new fields emerging, he said the ability to learn, unlearn and adapt would be among their most important strengths. He encouraged them to explore unfamiliar subjects, work across disciplines and approach difficult problems with confidence.
The Lieutenant Governor said professional success should not be judged only by the position a person holds, the organisation they join or the recognition they receive. The problems they help solve, opportunities they create and positive changes their work brings to people’s lives should also be considered.
He emphasised that innovation must be guided by integrity and sound professional judgement. The real worth of technological progress, he said, lay not merely in what it made possible but also in how it improved people’s lives.
Linking the graduates’ responsibilities to India’s long-term development goals, Sandhu said the country’s aspiration to become a developed nation by 2047 would depend on scientific advancement, strong institutions and capable, responsible citizens. The graduating generation would have an important role in shaping that future, whether its members chose research, entrepreneurship, industry or public service.