Governor urges IIIT Kottayam students to use technology responsibly

Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has urged students to become masters of technology rather than its slaves, stressing the need for its responsible use amid growing concerns over the impact of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence.

Addressing the eighth convocation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Kottayam at Valavoor on Saturday (October 3, 2026), Mr. Arlekar said technology should remain a tool for human progress and should not be allowed to control its users.

“We should utilise technology, and a situation where technology starts using us must not arise,” he said. Noting the concerns being raised over the impact of advanced technologies, including AI, on the next generation, he said students should address them by mastering technology.

The Governor also stressed the need to maintain the quality of education as the institute expands. “Facilities at IIIT have expanded significantly, and the student population has grown from 33 to over 450. It must be ensured that the quality of education rises in tandem with this growth,” he said.

Responsibility of youth

Mr. Arlekar also mooted the concept of ‘Youth Social Responsibility’ (YSR), along the lines of corporate social responsibility, for the younger generation. “It is the duty of the youth to give something back to the society that provides them with education and quality knowledge. The vision of a developed India would become a reality through the youth,” he said.

Vijayalakshmi Deshmane, chairperson of the Board of Governors of IIIT Kottayam; Prasad Krishna, director; M. Radhakrishnan, registrar; Professor Ashok, and deans Ebin Deni Raj and Divya Sindhu Lekha also spoke.

Degrees were awarded to 386 BTech students, including 41 who completed the honours programme, 84 MTech students and eight research scholars who completed their PhD. Certificates of merit were also presented to 55 students for academic excellence, institute authorities said.

The institute was recently selected among the global winners of the World Health Organisation’s Health and Heritage Innovations (H2I) Open Call for a technology innovation in the Ayurveda sector.

It is also collaborating with AIIMS, New Delhi, on an ICMR-sponsored multicentric project to develop an artificial intelligence-based model for the early detection of tumours on the ocular surface and eyelids using smartphone imaging. An ISRO-supported project is also under way to develop Digital Twin technology to monitor astronauts’ health during space missions.