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Karnataka to establish India's first government AI university
🇮🇳 India /Culture & Society

Karnataka to establish India's first government AI university

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Karnataka will establish India's first government-sponsored Artificial Intelligence university in Bengaluru.
  • The university aims to foster AI research and collaboration between academia, industry, and government.
  • The initiative is part of a broader strategy to integrate AI into governance, public services, and various sectors like education, healthcare, and agriculture.

Karnataka is set to launch India's first government-funded Artificial Intelligence university in Bengaluru, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced on Tuesday. The initiative, revealed at the Google I/O Connect India 2026 event, aims to position Karnataka as an "AI native State."

Our vision is to make Karnataka an AI native State and integrate artificial intelligence into governance and public service delivery.

— DK ShivakumarChief Minister's vision for integrating AI into the state.

The proposed university will focus on advancing AI research and cultivating closer ties between educational institutions, industry players, and government bodies. This move is integral to a larger plan to embed artificial intelligence across key sectors, including education, healthcare, agriculture, public services, and small enterprises.

Chief Minister Shivakumar highlighted the transformative potential of AI, comparing its impact to historical technological breakthroughs like the steam engine, electricity, and the internet. He envisions AI assisting in teaching, enabling early disease detection, providing advisory services for farmers, streamlining government services, and enhancing the competitiveness of small businesses.

AI assisted teaching will transform education. Early disease detection and better medical support will strengthen healthcare. Farmers will receive AI driven advisory services. Government services will become faster and more citizen friendly, while small enterprises will improve their competitiveness by using AI tools.

— DK ShivakumarExplaining the potential applications of AI across various sectors.

Shivakumar emphasized Karnataka's strong technology ecosystem, noting that the state contributes 40% of India's software exports. Bengaluru hosts over 17,000 startups, and numerous Global Capability Centres have established operations there. He also invited Google to deepen its partnership, expressing a desire to apply AI solutions to pressing issues like Bengaluru's severe traffic congestion.

Every generation inherits one technology that changes the course of human civilisation. The steam engine transformed industry. Electricity reshaped cities. The internet changed connectivity. Mobile technology made everything accessible. Today, artificial intelligence promises to transform human capability itself.

— DK ShivakumarComparing the significance of AI to previous transformative technologies.

"Every generation inherits one technology that changes the course of human civilization," Shivakumar stated, drawing a parallel to past innovations. He believes AI has the potential to fundamentally transform human capability. Karnataka's commitment to innovation, he added, is inspired by Swami Vivekananda's call to dedicate oneself to a singular idea.

Twenty five years ago, Bengaluru had a population of 7 million. Today it has grown to 14 million, and we are looking for solutions to manage that growth.

— DK ShivakumarHighlighting Bengaluru's growth challenges and the need for AI solutions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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