TG govt charts 3-pronged approach to $1-trn economy

The Telangana govt will make sure that AI Innovation centres will extend their presence into tier-2 and tier-3 cities. In addition, to drive innovation and growth across specific industries, new vertical-specific Centres of Excellence focusing on sectors such as cybersecurity, semiconductors, and finance, will be set up - D Sridhar Babu, Telangana IT Minister

Hyderabad: Building on the key inputs received during the 1st day of Telangana Global AI Summit 2024, the Telangana government on Friday introduced three key strategies, Centres of Excellence, AI for Grassroots, and Trust in AI (Artificial Intelligence), to drive the State towards its goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy.

Addressing the gathering on the 2nd and concluding day of the Summit, Telangana IT Minister D Sridhar Babu shared the State’s vision in becoming a global leader in AI. He said, “Our vision for AI is based on the belief that every citizen should have access to the fruits of this innovation. From empowering grassroots initiatives to advancing industrial growth, AI will be a transformative force in Telangana.” To bridge the divide between urban and rural areas, and create new opportunities beyond cities, the State government will make sure that AI Innovation centres will extend their presence into tier-2 and tier-3 cities. In addition, to drive innovation and growth across specific industries, new vertical-specific Centres of Excellence focusing on sectors such as cybersecurity, semiconductors, and finance, will be set up. Speaking on one of the strategies, ‘Trust in AI,’ the Minister said: “AI is often referred to as a double-edged sword, capable of progress, but also posing challenges. At Telangana, our focus is not just on an AI-driven future for economic growth, but also on ensuring that AI is transparent, accountable and aligned with ethical standards.” For this, the State said it will soon implement frameworks for AI governance.

During the event, MATHack 2.0, an AI-focused Hackathon was held by MATH, in partnership with IT industry body Hysea, Idealabs, and TalentFarm.ai. From more than 1,000 applications, 40 students, developers and startups with innovative ideas and solving real industry use cases were selected, of which the final select teams participated in the physical Hackathon at the Summit.

On Friday, the IT Minister presented the cash prize to the final three top winning ideas. Extending his wishes to the winners, he declared that going ahead such Hackathons will be organised at all schools in the State, besides introducing AI in the curriculum.

The day-two of the Summit took off with a keynote address delivered by Sal Khan, Founder and CEO, Khan Academy, on the topic, Social Good: Humanising AI in education: Balancing technology and personal touch. Later in the day, a fireside chat, spotlight panel, demos and various other panel sessions were held simultaneously.