Telangana launches Aikam to scale AI deployment

The Telangana government has launched Aikam, a new autonomous body aimed at positioning the state as a global proving ground for large-scale AI deployment. Unveiled at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, the initiative is designed to consolidate state-led AI efforts and support the development, testing, and scale rollout of AI solutions.

State leaders framed the initiative as a shift away from pilot projects towards execution-focused implementation, emphasising transparency, governance, and public trust. The platform is designed to operate with agility while remaining anchored within government structures, reflecting Telangana’s ambition to rank among the world’s top 20 AI innovation hubs.

Aikam will focus on ecosystem building, including mass upskilling to create an AI-ready workforce, supporting AI startups, and strengthening collaboration among academia, research institutions, industry, and government. The state will back these efforts with access to large public datasets, enhanced computing infrastructure, and a dedicated AI Fund-of-Funds to help translate ideas into deployable solutions.

Alongside Aikam, Telangana launched the Responsible AI Standard and Ethics (RAISE) Index, a framework to measure responsible AI practices across the full AI lifecycle. Several international partnerships were also announced, covering skilling, applied research, healthcare, computing, and design, reinforcing the state’s emphasis on globally collaborative and responsible AI deployment.

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