In an effort to democratise future technologies and empower youth to innovate, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and Meta have announced the launch of Frontier Technology Labs (FTLs).

Atal Innovation Mission and Meta will partner to set up FTLs in schools of strategic importance to ensure that students from diverse backgrounds across India will have equal opportunities to learn and engage with frontier technologies.

Till date, AIM has established 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) in schools across 722 districts in India. The objective of ATLs is to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, physical computing etc.

The FTL is an advanced version of Atal Tinkering Lab equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, including all components of the Tinkering Lab to empower students to innovate using technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Augmented & Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Robotics, 3D Printing, and Internet of Things.

The labs support the government’s focus on equipping youth with digital skills to succeed in the evolving landscape of technology and the global economy. The FTLs will be funded by Meta and Atal Innovation Mission will be the knowledge partner.

Through engaging workshops, interactive sessions, and project-based learning, students will be trained on using AI tools effectively, understanding generative AI & prompt engineering, exploring scientific concepts interactively using AR & VR, dealing with new age cyber security threats, amongst other things.  Students will also be given access to tools and resources from Meta, like LLaMA and other AI tools, to build innovative solutions.