By State gearing up for AI adoption, integration, and enablement: Minister Rajeeve
The July 11-12 International Gen AI Conclave being hosted by Kerala Government in Kochi in association with IBM will showcase the state’s core strengths as an attractive destination for a wide range of enterprises driven by Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
Kerala has a robust IT infrastructure and a highly skilled workforce and talent pool, making it an ideal locale for companies to base their diverse operations, when the whole world is riding high on the AI tide, Minister for Industries, Law and Coir Shri P Rajeeve said.
It is significant to note that the AI Conclave in Kochi is happening when the state is gearing up for AI adoption, integration, and enablement, Shri Rajeeve said.
“Kerala Government has identified AI as a focus sector in its new Industrial Policy and has prioritised it in the budget for the current financial year. The conclave in Kochi is the first major intervention in this direction,” the Minister noted.
“Top stakeholders from around the world have confirmed their participation at the Kochi event. That, we expect, will result in investment proposals, collaborations and networking,” the Minister added.
Fast shaping up as a leading AI destination in India, Kerala presents a highly conducive ecosystem for investment in the sector, further reinforced by recent policy measures and incentives.
Tapping into Kerala’s robust ecosystem, global majors including Attachi, dSPACE, IBM and Safran have already started investing in the state.
A priority sector in Kerala’s new industrial policy, the state has already unveiled a slew of policy initiatives and offers 18 incentives to promote this transformative domain, including investment subsidy on fixed capital, SGST reimbursement, electricity duty exemption etc.
A strategic paper prepared by Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) ahead of the conclave points out that leveraging AI will offer big opportunities for companies and startups in the state, besides improving the efficiency and precision of delivery of services.
AI is estimated to add up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030 and India holds enormous potential for being world’s third largest talent pool for AI, says the sector report prepared by KSIDC.
Kerala’s robust startup ecosystem, rated as one of the strongest in the world by the latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER), is expected to undergo a paradigm shift owing to the prominence of AI and Machine Learning. Already close to 300 startups in the AI domain are operating out of the state.
The report notes that many sectors in the state have already started deploying AI, including agriculture, education, and healthcare, Business and Financial Services Industry (BFSI), consumer goods & retail, financial inclusion, HR, smart mobility & transportation, smart cities, and urban infrastructure.
The state government’s focus in advancing AI education and research is also evident in its integration into the education system, with institutions of higher learning offering AI and ML courses. There are nearly 20 educational institutions and colleges in Kerala today offering courses in AI and Robotics and Machine Learning.
The state could also claim the credit for being the first state where IT coding was introduced into the curriculum of one of its schools, right from Class I. The Government has also started a massive state-wide program to train 80000 secondary school teachers for using AI tools in classrooms across Kerala.
Significantly, Kerala stands as the first state to tap on AI for revamping its time-honoured plantation sector in a sustainable manner. Adoption of AI utilized plant growth data to further advise farmers and planters to choose weather-resilient crops besides tackling ill-effects from harmful pests is a priority intervention currently being implemented in Kerala’s plantation sector. Other factors that are powering the growth of AI in Kerala include a favourable business environment, a well-developed IT infrastructure, numerous software parks and technology incubators, and government’s proactive efforts for linkages between academia, research institutions and industry players to foster AI innovation
