Kochi, India's "audacious" goals and ruthless mindset were instrumental in achieving its lunar mission by outpacing bigwigs like Russia, Japan and the United States, former NASA astronaut and technology executive Steve Lee said on Thursday. Smith.
Smith was referring to the country's Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon last year, making India the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft in the lunar South Pole region.
The American astronaut spoke at a session on "Lessons Learned from a Skywalker" at the country's first International Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Conclave.
The conclave is organized by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) in collaboration with IBM.
A veteran astronaut, Smith flew into space four times at 17,000 miles per hour on the space shuttle during his time at NASA, covering 16 million miles. He has also performed seven spacewalks, including repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Noting that an astronaut's job is mission-driven, Smith said India can be proud of its progress and carry forward the space program with resilience and determination.
Smith recalled his friendship with Indian-born American astronaut Kalpana Chawla, and also cited his experience of being rejected four times by NASA when he applied for its astronaut program.
"I kept working boldly and was finally able to achieve it. It was an incredible journey for me as an astronaut at NASA."
Smith further said that it is a very exciting time for AI as we can simplify life and prioritize things with it.
He added that the government system must ensure that they are building efficient AI models and training people with the right skills.
Smith, whose father had worked at IBM for 50 years, stole the show on the first day of the event, which featured a wide range of participants, including developers, business leaders, academics and students, media and analysts, government officials, IBM customers and his partners. .
The event is also expected to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and knowledge that can shape the future of AI in India.
Smith was referring to the country's Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon last year, making India the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft in the lunar South Pole region.
The American astronaut spoke at a session on "Lessons Learned from a Skywalker" at the country's first International Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Conclave.
The conclave is organized by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) in collaboration with IBM.
A veteran astronaut, Smith flew into space four times at 17,000 miles per hour on the space shuttle during his time at NASA, covering 16 million miles. He has also performed seven spacewalks, including repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Noting that an astronaut's job is mission-driven, Smith said India can be proud of its progress and carry forward the space program with resilience and determination.
Smith recalled his friendship with Indian-born American astronaut Kalpana Chawla, and also cited his experience of being rejected four times by NASA when he applied for its astronaut program.
"I kept working boldly and was finally able to achieve it. It was an incredible journey for me as an astronaut at NASA."
Smith further said that it is a very exciting time for AI as we can simplify life and prioritize things with it.
He added that the government system must ensure that they are building efficient AI models and training people with the right skills.
Smith, whose father had worked at IBM for 50 years, stole the show on the first day of the event, which featured a wide range of participants, including developers, business leaders, academics and students, media and analysts, government officials, IBM customers and his partners. .
The event is also expected to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and knowledge that can shape the future of AI in India.
