As AI-ML takes education throne, Gujarat colleges add 1,500 seats

Ahmedabad/Vadodara: As all tech — from phones to productivity tools — takes the AI-powered capability leap, the next race to capitalise on this power is playing out at educational institutes. Several institutes have been introducing specialised courses, course modules, and electives to their programmes since 2025.

The trend continues this year, taking the number of seats for such courses to over 1,500 in Gujarat, said experts.

Several educational institutions in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar have introduced new courses that create pathways for both science and humanities students to pursue AI-ML (machine learning).

For instance, those who cannot take up conventional BE/BTech in the science stream, and those who want to pursue AI-related courses from the Class 12 general stream, can take up BSc/BS courses, said experts.

However, for the majority of courses, mathematics is a prerequisite, they added.

In Vadodara, the Maharaja Sayajirao University’s faculty of science has announced two new programmes from the 2026-27 academic year. One is a two-year MSc in Advanced Computing with 20 seats, and the other is a five-year integrated MSc in Data Science with 60 seats.

Faculty dean Prof Vipul A Kalamkar said the initiative reflects a shift towards specialisation-driven education.

Parul University (PU), which already offers multiple AI and data science-related engineering programmes, has introduced three new courses from the 2026-27 academic year.

They are BTech in Computer Science and Engineering (Quantum Computing in AI), BTech in Artificial Intelligence & Data Science with Quantum Computing, and BTech in Quantum Computing.

“We are seeing a sharp rise in demand for futuristic and interdisciplinary technology programmes,” said Dr Swapnil Parikh, the dean of the faculty of engineering at PU.

“Demand for AI-focused programmes has been rising steadily at the university,” he added. “Enrolment in BTech AI and Data Science increased from 637 students in 2024-25 to 697 in 2025-26, while 163 students have already enrolled for the current academic year even as the admission process is on.”

Navrachana University also offers programmes such as BSc in Data Science, BBA (honours) in Business Analytics, and BSc-MSc integrated computer science (AI-ML) programme.

Several programmes, such as NFSU’s MTech in AI and Data Science, are focused on the offshoots of the trend such as cybersecurity and safeguarding major digital infrastructure. Experts said several humanities courses are also integrating AI-ML in major ways as generative AI is the way forward for creative fields. Disciplines such as law, architecture, and accounting are also exploring AI-ML applications.