Bengaluru: Karnataka’s proposed Artificial Intelligence University (KAIU) is set to move beyond the drawing board, with its consultation committee deciding to begin AI skilling programmes while the legislative and institutional process to establish the university continues in parallel.The first meeting of the KAIU consultation committee, chaired by Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan and co-chaired by N Manjula, IAS, secretary, department of electronics, IT, biotechnology and science & technology, was held in Bengaluru Saturday. Senior representatives from the tech industry, academia and state govt participated in discussions on the roadmap for the proposed university.The committee said AI education and skilling need not wait for the university to become operational. Industry and academic institutions will collaborate on certificate, diploma, finishing-school, executive education and reskilling programmes in the near term.The programmes will cover generative and agentic AI, data analytics, cloud technologies, cybersecurity, AI infrastructure and data centres, physical AI, semiconductors and hardware applications, besides basic AI literacy.The initiative will target university students and graduates, tech professionals, workers from other sectors and rural youth seeking careers in AI, research and entrepreneurship. The committee said outcomes such as employment, entrepreneurship and economic opportunities generated through AI skilling would be key measures of success.Gopalakrishnan said the immediate objective was to move from “vision to action” by mapping existing industry training programmes, expertise and academic infrastructure and bringing them together to create AI talent and employment opportunities.Manjula said an institutional structure would coordinate industry and academic participation and establish a framework to evaluate and validate curricula, assessments and certification programmes.
