Bengaluru among top global hubs for AI skilling and startups: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 17 (ANI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday highlighted the state's growing prominence in artificial intelligence, stating that Bengaluru ranks among the leading global hubs for AI skilling and startups.
"We are the 5th best city in AI skilling in the world and in the top 10 in AI startups. Government of Karnataka is one of the first governments to come up with policies which encourage skilling in AI and encourage startups in this vertical," Kharge told the media.
He added that global AI firm Anthropic AI would be headquartered in Bengaluru, calling it a testament to the state's policy framework. "A testament to our policies is that Anthorpic AI will be headquartered in Bengaluru. We are gaining momentum. We are ensuring that Karnataka delivers for the nation," he said.
Kharge stressed the need for large-scale reskilling and upskilling initiatives to meet industry demands. "The Government of Karnataka has launched a program for this to produce the most well-trained and employable human resources in the world," he added.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday said integrating artificial intelligence into education is a national priority to empower the country's youth.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapan in the national capital, Pradhan emphasised that using AI in the education sector has become a priority for the government now.
"It is our responsibility to provide AI-enabled education to India's new generation. The Prime Minister organised the AI Impact Summit to encourage India's new generation, and they are participating in it. Using AI in education, how we can strengthen our students, schools, and teachers by leveraging AI has become a priority," he said.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said India is expecting more than USD 200 billion in investments over the next two years.
"There are two types of interest. The first type is investment. There is an expectation of more than 200 billion dollars in investment over the next two years. The second type is deep tech funding by VC. And the third type is India's innovativeness and India's digital public infrastructure," Vaishnaw told ANI on the sidelines of the Summit.
Elaborating on the role of technology frameworks in driving adoption, he added, "Because of the digital public infrastructure, there is a very good technology framework under the leadership of the Prime Minister. Because of this framework, the diffusion of AI in India can be accelerated. This is what everyone believes."
The minister said global CEOs are displaying keen interest in investing in India, particularly in deep tech startups and infrastructure. "A lot of interest in investing in India, especially in the Indian deep tech startups, in the infrastructure, also in finding new solutions at population scale. Because the way our Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created this digital public infrastructure in our country, that brings out a huge advantage for any solution which needs to be brought at a population scale," he said.
The India AI Impact Summit has brought together policymakers, global industry leaders, investors and innovators, with discussions centred on leveraging AI for large-scale economic and social transformation while addressing potential risks associated with the technology. (ANI)