JAMMU, Sep 22: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday inaugurated several new facilities at the University of Jammu, including a modern sports complex, shooting range, high-mast lighting at the cricket stadium and the Tawi Guest House complex, developed at a cost of nearly Rs 10 crore.
Addressing the gathering, Sinha said the new infrastructure would support athletes, scholars and visitors while strengthening the university’s role as a centre of excellence in Jammu and Kashmir.
Congratulating the Vice-Chancellor and university stakeholders, the Lieutenant Governor said infrastructure was important, but the real transformation of an institution depended on the values, ideas and innovations developed within it.
Speaking about the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, Sinha said the scale of technological change today was unprecedented. He stressed the need to ensure that technology remains a tool serving humanity rather than becoming a force that controls human decisions.
Sinha said AI has the potential to produce both beneficial and harmful outcomes and emphasised that decisions affecting human dignity, livelihood, health, education and freedom must remain subject to human responsibility and accountability.
He said machines can process information and make predictions, but they cannot experience emotions or assume moral responsibility for their decisions.
The Lieutenant Governor also outlined several challenges facing higher education in the AI era. He called for greater relevance in academic curricula, a shift away from rote learning and greater emphasis on application, critical thinking, curiosity and reasoning.
He also stressed that technology should not widen the educational divide between rural and urban students.
Sinha said technology would not replace teachers but would transform their role. According to him, teachers of the future would increasingly serve as mentors, guides and mentors for curiosity and character-building, rather than merely providing information.
Addressing students and teachers, the Lieutenant Governor shared six key messages: embrace lifelong learning, develop human qualities such as creativity and empathy, encourage interdisciplinary learning, contribute to national development, maintain a balance between academics and sports, and remain connected with traditions and values.
He urged young people to dream big while linking their aspirations with service to society and the nation.
Sinha also cautioned that powerful technologies could have very different consequences depending on how they were used, stressing the importance of values, responsibility and wisdom in the age of artificial intelligence.
University of Jammu Vice Chancellor Prof. Umesh Rai, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Ramesh Kumar, IGP Jammu Tejinder Singh, DIG JSK Range Shridhar Patil, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Dr. Rakesh Minhas, senior university officials, faculty members and students attended the inauguration ceremo
