Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella has announced the expansion of the ‘Code Without Barriers’ initiative to India. The aim is to empower 75,000 women developers with tech skills by 2024. Nadella emphasized the program’s mission to make technology skills accessible across India. Speaking to 1,100 developers and tech leaders at the Microsoft AI Tour, he highlighted the significant contributions of Indian developers in driving global AI innovation.
“One of the things that I’m very excited also is to bring one of the initiatives which we’ve had called Code Without Barriers, and expanding to India and really helping 75,000 women developers by 2024,” Nadella said.
Microsoft plans to expand its “Code Without Barriers” program to India this month to democratize access to technology skills nationwide.
“The programme was launched in 2021 across nine Asia Pacific (APAC) countries to help close the gender gap in the region’s fast-growing cloud, AI, and digital technology sectors.”
“It provides support, training, and networking opportunities for female developers and coders, and those in other technical roles to contribute to inclusive economic growth, encourage innovation, and reflect the region’s social makeup,” the statement said.
Microsoft plans to offer training and certification to 75,000 women developers in India by 2024 as part of this initiative.
During the discussion about Siksha Copilot, a collaboration between the Shikshana Foundation and Microsoft Research India, the speaker highlighted its role in empowering teachers.
“One of the things that I always think about is really empowering teachers because at the end of the day, if we can put tools in the hands of teachers, they have the ability, quite frankly, to inspire more students than any AI can. And so to me, having Shiksha Copilot really be that tool that allows teachers to be able to do their job more effectively,” the Microsoft CEO said.
AI aims to enhance learning outcomes and enable teachers to create comprehensive, age-appropriate lesson plans featuring personalized learning experiences.
Leveraging Azure OpenAI models helps teachers generate a full-fledged lesson plan complete with engaging content within 60 to 90 seconds, a task that typically takes 60 to 90 minutes.
It is operational in approximately 30 rural and urban schools in Bengaluru, India. Microsoft states that the Sikshana Foundation is collaborating with them to implement it extensively.
Nadella highlighted the creation of an open healthcare network in India facilitated by the GitHub Copilot AI tool. This tool is constructed based on an open-source EMR system and a tele EMR system.
The Microsoft chief stated that a lot of innovation was happening around Copilot, saying, “India is a place where you know, what the momentum around developers and development is unbelievable.”
He highlighted that India ranks second only to the United States in the number of developers on GitHub. He predicted that India is poised to become the top-ranked country in terms of developers on GitHub by 2027 or 2028.
