Bhubaneswar, 19 December 2025: The Regional AI Impact Conference, Odisha was inaugurated today at the State Convention Centre, Bhubaneswar, marking the commencement of a high-level two-day convening focused on advancing AI for governance, development, and public good.
Conceived as the official precursor to the AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled to be held in New Delhi in February 2026, the Conference positions Odisha among alongside Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, Gujarat, Telangana, and Kerala, playing a key role in building the momentum ahead of the AI Impact Summit 2026.
The welcome address was presided by the Chief Guest, Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Odisha, and Guests of Honours, Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Parliamentary Affairs and Electronics & Information Technology, Government of Odisha; Shri Sudeep Shrivastav, Joint Secretary, MeitY, Government of India, Dr. Ahmed Hefnawy, AI Governance Expert, Ministry of Communications and IT (MCIT), Egypt, and Ms. Debjani Ghosh, Chief Architect, NITI Frontier Tech Hub. Shri Manoj Ahuja, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha, Shri Vishal Dev, Principal Secretary, Electronics & IT, Government of Odisha and Shri Manas Panda, Special Secretary, Electronics & IT, Government of Odisha, also addressed the gathering.
Setting the tone for the Conference through a virtual address, the Hon’ble Chief Minister emphasized Odisha’s commitment to AI-led governance and citizen-centric innovation. He said, “We are not merely adopting AI, we are building the foundation of an AI-powered Odisha. This will strengthen governance, speed of service delivery and empower citizens. India is undergoing a historic technical transformation and Odisha is proud to be an active and ambitious partner in this national movement.”
Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, while sharing the vision for the Regional AI Impact Conference, Odisha, said, “Our vision for this summit is firmly rooted in the goals of Samruddha Odisha and Viksit Bharat. I’m personally excited about our focus on local language LLMs, which will ensure that technology is no longer limited by a language barrier.”
Dr. Mahaling also threw light on the the Conference’s alignment with the India AI Impact Summit’s principles – the three Sutras, People, Planet and Progress; and the seven Chakras, that translate these principles into concrete areas of multilateral action spanning human capital, inclusion, trust, resilience, science, resources, and social good
Shri Sudeep Shrivastav acknowledged Odisha’s emergence as a prominent state in India’s Al landscape and said, “The state has recently articulated an Al policy that places strong emphasis on responsible adoption, applied use cases, and ecosystem development. Its focus on leveraging Al for public service delivery and inclusive growth, along with support for startups, research institutions, and skilling initiatives, positions Odisha as a potential regional hub for Al-led innovation.
Shri Manoj Ahuja, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha, shared his optimism and vision for the use of AI to strengthen last-mile delivery of public goods and services. He said, “India has achieved significant success with digital public infrastructure, and a similar strategy must be adopted to advance AI and unlock greater use cases for the technology.”
Further reinforcing Odisha’s commitment to developing AI-powered growth and development, Shri Vishal Dev announced several key partnerships with organisations like OpenAI (to support AI capacity building for students and government officials and support pilot AI use cases); Wadhwani AI (that will focus on oral reading fluency and nudges to Subhadra beneficiaries); Sarvam AI (for issue resolution in scheme delivery); and TCS (improve efficiency and productivity in e-File management system). He also shared a glimpse of Sushasan Sah’AI’Yak, an AI-powered chatbot designed to help government officials improve productivity and efficiency.
Across their remarks, leaders converged on a shared objective: to keep people at the centre of all technological progress. Calling on the global south to lead the way to build contextualised innovations, Dr. Ahmed Hefnawy said, “India has shown the world the power of tech for good. The nations of the global south must come together to build a global corridor where knowledge flows freely.”
Shri Anurag Yadav, Principal Secretary, IT & Electronics, Government of Uttar Pradesh, called for leveraging AI to bridge gaps and strengthen governance systems and said, “AI is no longer about the future. The time now is to decide whether we want to be actors or passive participants.”
Ms. Debjani Ghosh echoed the sentiment and reinforced saying, “Transformation is the true promise of AI. It represents mega-scale change across every sector we know. This should happen while keeping humans in the centre of the loop.”
A key highlight of the inaugural day was the unveiling of the Odisha Vision 2036 Immersive AI Zone; a 360-degree experience that offers visitors a compelling glimpse into an AI-enabled future, showcasing Odisha’s vision for transformation across healthcare, education, disaster management, governance, and citizen services—demonstrating how emerging technologies can improve lives at scale.
The first day of the Conference included multiple breakout sessions, where experts deliberated on themes such as Transformation Roadmaps for AI in Indian States, Impact of AI Research and Innovation, and Unlocking the Future of AI through Education.
The Regional AI Impact Conference, Odisha is anchored around three core objectives: positioning Odisha as a frontrunner state in leveraging AI for impact, building ecosystem engagement to catalyse implementation of AI use cases, and showcasing the State’s growing potential in AI research and innovation.
Odisha is the first Indian state to notify a Cabinet-approved AI Policy and has since made steady progress in operationalising it. The State has established an AI Centre of Excellence in partnership with NASSCOM, implemented over 15 AI solutions across eight government departments, entered into strategic partnerships with industry leaders to scale AI deployment, and initiated work to embed AI-readiness frameworks within government datasets.
