Chandigarh: Industries minister Sanjeev Arora announced that the state govt will systematically introduce artificial intelligence (AI) integration across all its departments.Speaking at the Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit on Saturday evening, Arora said, “This strategic initiative aims to fast-track administrative processes and make public service delivery more efficient, transparent, and accessible to the citizens of Punjab. AI has become part and parcel of our daily lives, and it is imperative that we utilise it efficiently and responsibly.”Expressing satisfaction with the overwhelming response to the summit, the industries minister said that all 26 sessions conducted throughout the day were jam-packed, reflecting the high confidence of the investor community in Punjab’s growth trajectory.Seema Bansal, vice-chairperson of the Punjab Development Commission (PDC), and Amit Daka, CEO of Invest Punjab, delivered presentations showcasing the state’s readiness for next-generation technologies. They highlighted the strategic advantages, talent pool, and infrastructure of Punjab, specifically positioning Mohali as an emerging, premier hub for AI in the region.The session featured a panel discussion bringing together top minds in technology, academia, and industry. The panel included Komal Talwar, Co-Founder, XLScout; Amit Thapar from Ganga Acrowool; Prof Rajiv Ratn Shah from Plaksha University; and Shailendra Tyagi, Director, STPI Mohali.Highlighting the transformative potential of AI for the private sector during the discussion, the experts said that implementing AI solutions can increase a firm’s output by more than 20 percent. The panellists stressed the importance of problem identification, advising businesses to first pinpoint their operational challenges and then strategically apply AI to resolve them.The experts underscored AI’s critical role in revolutionising Punjab’s core sectors, including agriculture, industry, and trade, as well as its potential to drastically improve state governance. To foster a thriving innovation ecosystem, the experts strongly recommended that the govt actively support early-stage AI start-ups by providing access to subsidised cloud storage and robust database infrastructure.
