BITS Pilani taps alumni at Nvidia, OpenAI to teach AI

The Birla Institute of Technology and Science ( BITS) Pilani is reaching out to artificial intelligence (AI) practitioners among its alumni at top global companies, including OpenAI, Nvidia, Microsoft and Google, for teaching courses on Generative AI and Agentic AI to more than 2,500 students across its campuses. The institute has so far engaged six alumni from these companies, group vice-chancellor V Ramgopal Rao told ET.

“This is a major step in leveraging alumni expertise to give our students direct exposure to the latest industry developments. There is not much expertise in academic institutions right now,” he said.

BITS Pilani is also bringing on board more than 30 alumni, including research scientists from top AI labs worldwide, computer science PhD candidates from leading US universities, directors and software engineers, as well as product managers from various software companies. While the institute has faculty on its campuses as course instructors, these practitioners will primarily deliver lectures online.

The institute has already introduced formal AI courses for first-year students across disciplines. “Many students use AI tools but have little understanding of how they work – their platforms, limitations or applications. We want to change that,” said Rao.

At BITS campuses – Pilani, Dubai, Goa and Hyderabad – a curriculum revision is underway to align academic offerings with fast-evolving workplaces.

“One of our top priorities right now is curriculum revision,” said Rao. “So much has changed in the last few years, from the rise of generative AI to the shifting nature of jobs, that we need to reimagine what and how we teach.”

The new curriculum has already been introduced for first-year students across BITS campuses. As this batch progresses through subsequent years, the institute plans to extend the overhaul across programmes.

“We want the cohort that entered this year to graduate with a completely revamped, flexible curriculum,” Rao said, adding that changes are being made not just to syllabi and course content but also to credit structures and the introduction of new programmes.

BITS Pilani is expanding its portfolio of computing-related programmes. Last year, it launched a mathematics and computing undergraduate degree, an interdisciplinary collaboration between the mathematics and computer science departments, which has quickly become the institute’s second-most sought-after programme after computer science.

Building on that momentum, the institute will introduce a new AI and Smart Systems programme from the 2026-27 academic year. The course will focus on artificial intelligence, robotics and humanoid systems, areas where India has so far lagged global peers. “While countries like the US and China have made major strides in robotics, India has few dedicated research groups in this space. We hope to change that,” Rao said.

The new programme is being designed as a multidisciplinary initiative, integrating expertise from mechanical, electrical, computer science and even biological sciences.

“We are looking at how to make it truly cross-functional,” Rao said, adding that faculty recruitment and curriculum finalisation are already underway.

Research Reinvention
Alongside academic reform, BITS Pilani is placing renewed emphasis on research. “We are strengthening the research-to-innovation pipeline. A lot of work stops at publications, but we want to see research translate into real-world impact through commercialisation and industry collaboration,” said Rao.

The institute has been recruiting faculty and experts with strong industry linkages and aims to achieve a tenfold increase in its research–industry connections over the next three years.

International partnerships are another area of focus. The institute is expanding its global collaborations, especially in Europe. “We’ve traditionally had strong ties with the US and Australia, but Europe is becoming increasingly important, not just academically but also geopolitically,” said Rao.