Telangana govt prepared to meet challenges posed by rapid rise of AI: IT Minister

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a game-changer that needs to be adopted, mastered and driven through strengthened human skills, IT and Industry Minister D. Sridhar Babu said on Friday.

He said Telangana has already started initiatives in this direction, ranging from skilling and re-skilling of the workforce, adoption of artificial intelligence in public services and welfare programmes, as well as creating infrastructure backbone for people to benefit from emerging technology.

Addressing Swedish trade representatives and global technology stakeholders at the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit in New Delhi, Mr. Sridhar Babu said Prime Minister Revanth Reddy’s government is ready to face the challenges posed by the rapid rise of AI.

Developing the skills of software professionals and future-ready talent is a priority. He said that as AI begins to significantly transform job roles, the government has begun to prepare its workforce for the transition. Artificial intelligence research centers, applications and service ecosystems will create new employment opportunities.

Stating that upskilling and reskilling has been the government’s guiding mantra for the last two years, he said the adoption of artificial intelligence in public services and welfare programs will strengthen last-mile connectivity and curb misuse. He called on global technology companies to collaborate in creating advanced applications and innovations for this purpose.

A large-scale initiative is underway to provide internet connectivity to every village to ensure the benefits of AI reach all citizens. Mr. Sridhar Babu said that T-Fiber has been working for the last two years to connect every village to the digital world.

The minister’s office said it described Telangana as an “investment haven” and highlighted the state’s pro-innovation ecosystem, uninterrupted power supply and stable policy framework that constantly welcomes new ideas and initiatives.

Speaking at a session on “Agents of Change: Artificial Intelligence for Government Services and Climate Resilience” at the summit, he said Telangana aims to emerge as a model for digital governance by leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Technology is positioned as a key transformation tool under the State’s Telangana Rising 2047 vision, and the government is integrating technology with citizen services to bridge the gap between government and people and improve service delivery.

He said the government was exploring the use of Agency Artificial Intelligence to ensure that emerging technologies benefit all segments of society.