Student Development Programme on “From Basic Statistics to Modern AI: The Power of Preference Learning”
Date – 29th June, 2026
Mode – Online (Zoom)
Organised by – Department of Data Science and Analytics, Patna Women’s College, Patna
Total No. of Participants: 69
The Department of Data Science and Analytics, Patna Women’s College, celebrated Statistics Day 2026 in honour of the renowned statistician Prof. P. C. Mahalanobis by organising a Student Development Programme on the topic “From Basic Statistics to Modern AI: The Power of Preference Learning.” The programme aimed to highlight the importance of statistics in the rapidly evolving field of Artificial Intelligence and encouraged students to build a strong conceptual foundation.
The programme commenced with a prayer song setting a peaceful and positive tone for the proceedings . Dr. Priyadarshini, Head, Department of Data Science and Analytics, delivered the welcome address and throw light on the importance of this day. Dr. Rahul Singh ,Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, IIT Delhi was the resource person for the programme. Dr. Singh emphasized the significance of Statistics Day and the growing relevance of statistics in today’s data-driven world.
He explained how statistics forms the backbone of Data Science and discussed the challenges of measuring subjectivity through concepts such as paired comparisons, mathematical foundations, model estimation, and preference learning. He illustrated these concepts with practical examples, including a cricket-based case study, before connecting them to modern Artificial Intelligence techniques such as Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) and his research on the Cardinal Graph-LM.
An important takeaway from the session was Dr. Singh’s emphasis that Data Science is fundamentally rooted in statistics also rather than computer science alone. He encouraged students to develop a strong understanding of statistical concepts, as they are essential for building intelligent AI systems and making data-driven decisions.
The session was highly interactive, with students actively participating in discussions and asking insightful questions. It provided them with a deeper understanding of the connection between statistics and modern Artificial Intelligence while inspiring them to strengthen their conceptual foundations.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Ms. Aqsa Shamshir Khan. The programme served as an enriching learning experience, inspiring students to appreciate the indispensable role of statistics in modern Artificial Intelligence and encouraging them to deepen their knowledge through continuous learning and research.
