The Aryavarth Express
Bhubaneswar (Odisha): Odisha is hosting the two-day Regional AI Impact Summit 2025 in Bhubaneswar from today, organised by the Electronics and Information Technology Department of the Government of Odisha. The summit aims to promote scalable public AI solutions aligned with the three pillars of People, Planet, and Progress.
The event has brought together policymakers, industry leaders, academicians, innovators, and startups to deliberate on how artificial intelligence can be harnessed for inclusive growth and sustainable development.
Odisha Minister Mukesh Mahaling said that a regional AI summit will continue to be organised in the state following the IndiaAI Summit scheduled to be held in Delhi in February 2026. “The summit will deliberate on two major issues related to building a sustainable AI future. The outcomes of these discussions will help shape how AI can be used to strengthen governance mechanisms,” he told .
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Secretary Saurabh Garg said the key objective of the summit is to ensure that AI benefits everyone. He stressed the importance of accessibility, multilingual usage, and the use of local datasets and contexts. “People should be able to benefit from AI without necessarily understanding the technology itself. Data security, ethics, and safety must be integral to AI systems. Ensuring multilingual AI that reflects diverse cultures is essential for true inclusivity,” Garg said.
Principal Secretary of the Energy and IT Department, Vishal Kumar Dev, highlighted Odisha’s leadership in the AI space, stating that it is the first state in India to introduce an AI policy. “We want to maintain our pioneer position in using AI for governance and also attract investments in the artificial intelligence sector,” he said.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s vision, Dev said the upcoming India-AI Impact Summit in February 2026 will focus on People, Planet, and Progress, with the guiding principle of “welfare for all, happiness for all.” He emphasised that democratising AI through access, affordability, equity, and inclusivity remains central to this vision.
In line with the national IndiaAI Mission, the Odisha government launched the Odisha AI Mission in June this year. Priority areas include AI-driven solutions in health, education, disaster management, and improving government productivity. The state is also focusing on capacity building and awareness through partnerships with institutions such as the Wadhwani Foundation and the Odisha Knowledge Corporation, along with outreach programmes in schools and colleges.
India’s broader AI strategy focuses on using artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems while adopting an inclusive and innovation-friendly governance framework. The country’s balanced techno-legal approach to AI regulation has been shaped through global best practices and extensive stakeholder consultations.
As part of this vision, India will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from February 16 to 20, marking the first time the global AI summit series will be held in the Global South. The move underscores India’s growing influence in global AI discourse, following major international AI summits held in the UK, Seoul, Paris, and Africa.
