AI in education. iStock photo
When Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh admitted that she was struggling to find Artificial Intelligence (AI) professionals for government projects, it was a warning of what lies ahead. She said the state no longer had the luxury of “months or years” to prepare. Even premier institutions, such as the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), were unable to supply enough data scientists and AI analysts. For a state that prides itself on being India’s technology capital, the admission was sobering. The concern strikes at the heart of Karnataka’s digital ambitions. The Information Technology Policy 2025-2030 lays out the bold vision of an “AI-native” economy, with incentives, Global Capability Centres, and integrated enclaves. But policy can only create demand. Without talent, the ecosystem stalls. The gap between aspiration and ability is widening, and it is rooted in education.
Karnataka’s education pipeline is not aligned with its technology policy. AI remains largely confined to niche institutions, while the bulk of the system continues to produce general degrees with limited industry relevance. The situation is aggravated by the legacy of the ‘One District, One University’ experiment, driven more by political optics than academic planning. Many of these institutions neither possess data laboratories nor the academic depth required for cutting-edge disciplines. Several are already on the verge of closure. AI is already embedded in governance – from subsidy rationalisation and fraud detection to traffic surveillance and automated challan generation, pollution monitoring, and education tracking. It has become crucial for governance, enabling real-time decision-making, predictive analytics, and scalable public service delivery. Without in-house expertise, the state risks becoming dependent on external vendors for core public functions, raising costs, security concerns, and strategic vulnerability.
The solution lies in an education-first pivot. Karnataka must rapidly scale reskilling through intensive finishing schools and industry-led certification programmes for existing graduates. Simultaneously, AI literacy must begin early, with computational thinking embedded in curricula and a structured programme to train teachers, especially in government-run schools. Instead of multiplying general universities, the state should consolidate resources into specialised vertical institutions focused on AI, cyber security and data science, creating a critical mass of talent and infrastructure. Decentralising this effort beyond Bengaluru – to Mysuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, and Mangaluru – will widen the talent pool and prevent saturation. If education is treated as a core pillar rather than a support function, Karnataka can move beyond being India’s technology back office. With the right talent strategy, it can credibly aspire to become the country’s, and perhaps the world’s, AI brain.