To replicate IT success story, Kerala’s AI mission targets real-world impact across governance, industry

Kozhikode: With Kerala becoming the first state in the country to establish independent departments for Artificial Intelligence and Start-ups, policymakers and technology experts believe the move could trigger a transformation comparable to the e-governance and e-literacy revolution the state pioneered during India’s early IT boom.

Beyond merely automating systems, the initiative is expected to reshape how ordinary citizens access governance, healthcare, education and public services in their daily lives. Experts say AI has the potential to make governance faster, more efficient and more accessible, from reducing delays in government offices and improving diagnostics in public hospitals to enabling AI-assisted classrooms, precision farming and personalised citizen services.

Kerala had once demonstrated how technology could be democratised through initiatives such as Akshaya centres, e-literacy programmes, KFON, e-governance platforms and IT parks that reached even rural households. Technology experts now believe the same inclusive approach will be crucial in the AI era.

Taking cues from countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which have already integrated AI into governance and economic planning, Kerala now has an opportunity to position itself as a national model for socially responsible and citizen-centric AI adoption.

Saji Gopinath, Vice Chancellor of Digital University Kerala, said the state must first develop a comprehensive policy framework focusing on data protection, ethical concerns and responsible AI usage.

“When the IT department was established, it transformed the lives of ordinary people in Kerala. A similar transformation is possible with the establishment of a dedicated AI department in Kerala. Government can play a crucial role in ensuring responsible and productive AI adoption across sectors.Government can streamline AI adoption and channelise its use in a constructive direction while minimising risks,” he said.

“Platforms such as ChatGPT raise concerns related to data privacy and excessive dependence on external systems. We should think about how we can develop our own AI tools without depending excessively on external systems. At the national level, there are initiatives like Sarvam AI, but we need many more such efforts,” he said.

Gopinath also warned that risks such as deepfakes, misinformation and hallucinated data must be addressed proactively. “We also need to augment our AI capabilities and build the required infrastructure, including data centres,” he said, adding that the government could act both as a facilitator and regulator to minimise the negative impact of AI.

Drawing parallels with the IT revolution, he said Kerala had earlier looked at Silicon Valley as a model during the IT boom, helping the state build a strong digital ecosystem. However, AI presents a fundamentally different opportunity.

“Unlike the IT sector, AI does not always require massive infrastructure. Though data centres are necessary, AI companies can function from anywhere. Earlier, starting an IT company required large teams, but today even a single individual can launch an AI-based enterprise,” he said.

Describing AI as a “big canvas”, Gopinath expressed hope that Kerala would soon introduce a dedicated AI policy and ensure an AI revolution without major job losses.

Meanwhile, S D Madhu Kumar, Chairperson of the Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (CoE-AI) at National Institute of Technology Calicut, said Kerala’s AI department should align closely with the IndiaAI Mission of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

“The primary focus can be on socially responsible, inclusive and knowledge-driven AI ecosystems tailored to Kerala’s strengths in education, healthcare, digital literacy and public service delivery,” he said.

According to him, the department could prioritise AI for public healthcare, precision agriculture, disaster and climate resilience, intelligent transportation, tourism, multilingual Malayalam language technologies, e-governance, cybersecurity and AI-enabled skilling, while also promoting ethical AI, transparency, data privacy and citizen-centric governance.

Madhu Kumar suggested several high-impact initiatives, including AI-assisted disease prediction and telemedicine systems in public hospitals, AI-based flood and landslide early warning systems, smart mobility and traffic management solutions for urban centres, precision farming advisory platforms for farmers, Malayalam conversational AI assistants for government services and AI-supported personalised learning systems in schools and higher education institutions.

He said establishing AI innovation hubs in universities and technoparks, supporting startups working on Kerala-specific societal challenges and creating AI regulatory sandboxes for responsible deployment could position Kerala as a national leader in trustworthy and sustainable artificial intelligence.

Anoop Ambika, CEO of Kerala Startup Mission, observed that the traditional concept of IT itself was changing rapidly with the emergence of AI-driven systems.

“Earlier, governments delivered public services mainly through software applications. Now voice interfaces will bring a major change. AI will increasingly function as an intelligent agent supporting people. Traditional software systems will gradually merge with AI and even physical AI systems such as robotics and sensors,” he said.

According to him, future technologies including AI, robotics, biotechnology and advanced materials such as graphene could together reshape the knowledge economy. “The software and machines may function silently in the background while services become accessible through a single voice command. Such a knowledge economy can accelerate growth significantly,” he said.

Globally, countries are already racing to integrate AI into governance structures. The United Arab Emirates was among the first countries in the world to appoint a Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in 2017. Since then, the UAE has aggressively adopted AI in governance and public services, while launching a national AI strategy focused on improving government efficiency, attracting global AI companies and building AI infrastructure. Abu Dhabi is now planning to become the world’s first fully AI-powered government by 2027.

Saudi Arabia has established the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) to lead the country’s AI strategy as part of its Vision 2030 initiative aimed at reducing dependence on oil and building a technology-driven economy.

Singapore, meanwhile, has emerged as a global model for AI governance and regulation. The country has launched advanced “agentic AI” systems capable of autonomous decision-making and has introduced detailed frameworks outlining how governments and companies should use AI responsibly.

Experts believe Kerala’s decision to create an exclusive AI department could become more than an administrative experiment. If backed by strong policy, ethical safeguards, public participation and long-term investment, they say the initiative could redefine governance and position Kerala as India’s most ambitious laboratory for people-centric Artificial Intelligence.