BENGALURU: The Karnataka government on Thursday announced the setting up of a ‘Committee on Responsible Artificial Intelligence’ (RAI) as the state accelerates efforts to become the “AI capital of the future”, leveraging its talent pool of nearly one lakh AI professionals and a growing base of AI companies in Bengaluru.With this, Karnataka becomes the first Indian state to formally initiate discussions on responsible deployment of artificial intelligence amid the rapid growth of the tech ecosystem.Responsible AI (RAI) refers to the practice of designing, developing and deploying AI systems in ways that prioritise fairness, transparency, privacy and safety.State IT minister Priyank Kharge emphasised the need RAI: “AI is moving quickly from research labs into everyday governance, industry and public services. As AI adoption accelerates, it becomes equally important to ensure that its use remains responsible, transparent and accountable,” The committee will bring together experts from government, industry and academia to examine emerging AI use cases, identify high-risk and prohibited applications, and recommend safeguards related to data governance, privacy and citizen protections. “It will also propose governance mechanisms covering transparency and accountability standards, audit frameworks, procurement guidelines and institutional capacity building. We are confident that the committee’s work will lay the foundation for a comprehensive policy framework and implementation roadmap for Karnataka’s AI journey,” Kharge added.The move comes as Bengaluru continues to strengthen its position as a global AI hub. The city hosts nearly 50% of India’s AI talent that drives deep-tech innovation. Global AI firms such as Anthropic also have a presence in the city.“As the AI debate intensifies, we need to focus on Responsible AI,” a senior IAS officer explained. In fact, the State of Responsible AI in India 2025 survey highlighted how businesses across India were advancing in their RAI journeys, with 30% of companies having established mature RAI practices and 45% actively implementing formal frameworks. “The dynamics change when the state govt too speaks about RAI,” the official added while stating that such moves underscore the state’s intent to scale up.In fact, chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s budget, which was presented last week, underscored AI ambitions. It proposed an Bengaluru Robotics and AI Innovation Zone (BRAINz) in Bengaluru apart from creating AI hubs beyond Bengaluru. Recently. the IT dept had green-lit the AI Centre of Excellence at Keonics in Bengaluru, partnering Nasscom.
