Summary
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur is set to establish India’s first dedicated academic school for Physical Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The proposed Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI will focus on advancing research, education and technological innovation in AI systems capable of understanding and interacting with the physical world.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur is set to establish India’s first dedicated academic school for Physical Artificial Intelligence (AI), backed by an investment of тВ╣35 crore. The proposed Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI will focus on advancing research, education and technological innovation in AI systems capable of understanding and interacting with the physical world.
The new school will be established through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between IIT Kharagpur, its distinguished alumnus and philanthropist Vinod Gupta, and the IITKGP Foundation USA. According to the institute, the project will be supported by contributions from alumni and the institution. The Vinod Gupta family will provide тВ╣12.5 crore towards the initiative, while an anonymous alumnus has pledged тВ╣10 crore. IIT Kharagpur will finance the remaining amount required to meet the total investment of тВ╣35 crore.
The school has been named in memory of Benjamin Gupta, the late son of Vinod Gupta. In addition to developing specialised academic and research activities in Physical AI, the new institution will house IIT Kharagpur’s Department of Artificial Intelligence. It is expected to serve as a centre for interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together different scientific and technological disciplines to explore the applications of AI in physical environments.
Physical AI represents an emerging area of artificial intelligence that extends beyond conventional approaches based largely on data processing, algorithms and digital applications. It involves the development of intelligent systems that can interpret and respond to the physical world by integrating scientific principles, real-world sensing and intelligent control mechanisms.
The Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI will concentrate on several specialised research areas, including physics-informed machine learning, scientific AI, digital twins, intelligent robotics, autonomous systems, advanced sensing technologies and AI-enabled experimentation. These fields have applications across engineering, scientific research, industrial development and other sectors where intelligent systems must operate in real-world conditions.
A key priority for the school will be the development of AI technologies that are reliable, explainable and responsible. Such capabilities are particularly important in safety-critical environments, where inaccurate predictions or system failures can have serious consequences.
Academic programmes at the school are expected to commence in the upcoming academic session, subject to the necessary approvals. The programmes will be designed for a diverse group of learners, including students, researchers and working professionals from engineering, physical sciences, life sciences and medicine. The curriculum is expected to emphasise the integration of specialised knowledge from these disciplines with contemporary AI techniques, enabling participants to apply artificial intelligence to challenges within their respective fields.
Commenting on the initiative, IIT Kharagpur director Suman Chakraborty said artificial intelligence had already changed how information is processed, while its next phase of development would focus on transforming the understanding, engineering and interaction with the physical world. He said IIT Kharagpur intended to play a leading role in advancing this transition in India through the establishment of the Benjamin Gupta School of Physical AI.
Chakraborty also highlighted the importance of moving beyond AI systems that function as black boxes. He said the initiative would encourage professionals and researchers to combine the computational capabilities of AI algorithms with fundamental scientific understanding and knowledge specific to their respective domains. This approach is expected to support the development of more transparent and dependable AI technologies, particularly in fields where understanding how a system reaches a decision is as important as the outcome itself.
The institute further plans to bring together academic institutions, industry partners, healthcare organisations, research laboratories, startups and international collaborators through the new school.
Last updated on 27 Oct 2026
