IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu addressing a curtain raiser on Global AI Summit with HYSEA president Prashanth Nandella in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
A two-day Global AI Summit, to be organised by Telangana government in Hyderabad from September 5, is set to serve as a forum for exchange of views on issues concerning Artificial Intelligence, seeking advice from global experts as well as getting inputs for the proposed AI City.
The summit next month will set an example for other States even while helping place Telangana in a different orbit in terms of harnessing the power of AI, Industries and IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu told a curtain raiser, organised by the Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA) here on Tuesday.
“This is the right time to take the leap”, he said, pointing to how the government is also looking to integrate AI in governance, enhance productivity and lead the technology to the next level.
The summit comes in the backdrop of the Congress government, in one of its major decisions after coming to power last year, announcing plans for an AI City on about 200 acres at Mucherala near Hyderabad.
The AI City will be part of the fourth city mooted by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy with various features and add a futuristic dimension to Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Cyberabad.
To queries, Mr. Sridhar Babu said that while 200 acres had already been set aside, discussions on contours of the project, to be developed on public private partnership model, are set to begin immediately after the summit. The AI City is estimated to receive investments in excess of $4 billion over time, he added.
On how the previous government had proposed an AI District and what promoted the present regime to conceptualise an AI City, the Minister said, “It is not clear what they meant. We are very clear on what is being planned. Whatever it may be, the ultimate aim is to make Telangana the [global] You have capital.”
To queries around AI impacting jobs and the government’s view, he said, “There is always the fear of losing jobs with the advent of a new technology and AI is no different. The need is to overcome the fear with skilling and upskilling and thus minimise the impact.” Pointing out that emergence of AI has also spurred the demand for those with requisite skill sets to harness the technology, he said that the State government already has announced plans for setting up a full-fledged Skill University, while industry partners like HYSEA have come forward to train thousands of people. “What needs to be done, we will try…”
HYSEA president Prashanth Nandella said that the industry views the AI Summit as timely, “especially as we are at the forefront of experiencing the impact, power, and potential of an AI-driven future. We plan to upskill over 10,000 students in AI or GenAI in collaboration with TASK, T-Hub, TSIC and other key government organisations.”
