Speaking at the AWS (Amazon Web Services) summit in Bangalore, Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO of DigiYatra Foundation, announced the initiative, revealing that prototype testing for e-passport enrolment is currently in progress. "Today DigiYatra is available only for domestic travel, and we want to move to the next stage, which is international travel," Khadakbhavi stated. He anticipates that the new update enabling e-passport enrolment will be rolled out by the end of this month or by mid-June.
Discussions are ongoing with the Bureau of Immigration in India and international airports to facilitate seamless travel services for outbound Indian passengers. Khadakbhavi also mentioned exploring partnerships with other countries, citing the European Union's digital identity framework as a potential model for collaboration.
In addition to expanding its scope, DigiYatra is addressing user concerns regarding data privacy. Khadakbhavi reassured users that DigiYatra does not store user data, emphasising their commitment to data security.
In parallel, there's a surge in demand for generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) services among Indian corporates. AWS announced the availability of Amazon Bedrock in the AWS Asia Pacific (Mumbai) region to support customers in developing and scaling generative AI applications securely and efficiently. The move aims to empower public sector organisations and companies in regulated industries to innovate with gen AI while offering flexibility in running and storing these applications.
Deploying generative AI workloads closer to end-users is expected to enhance performance, particularly in tasks requiring low latency, such as on-the-fly content generation and real-time conversational insights.
Shalini Kapoor, chief technologist for APJ Public Sector at AWS India and South Asia, highlighted the significance of this initiative in fostering innovation among large enterprises, startups, and public sector organisations. The availability of Amazon Bedrock in India is expected to catalyse efforts to upskill talent in generative AI and drive advancements in the field.
As DigiYatra sets its sights on international travel and AWS unveils solutions to meet growing demand for gen AI services, these developments underscore India's commitment to technological innovation and digital transformation in the aviation and AI sectors.
