Ahead of the closing ceremony of India’s first GenAI conclave in Kochi on July 12, P. Rajeev, Kerala’s minister for industries, law and coir, called the event historic. “While we initially said that the event is India’s first such conclave in the GenAI space, some experts who were here said that they were not aware of any such event being held internationally before,” he said.
“If so, this could be the first in the world. The average age of participants was 26, which highlights the futuristic nature of the conclave,” Rajeev added.
While concerns were raised about the potential job losses, privacy breaches and misinformation that could accompany GenAI, Rajeev said, “We cannot stop the march of technology by passing a resolution. We can only engage with technology and find safeguards in real-time when challenges appear.”
He thanked IBM for co-hosting the event and said that this was not an investors’ meet, but the first step to setting up an AI ecosystem in the state. He said the government had identified 22 priority sectors and was re-looking the state’s industrial policy, land use policy and compliance laws in the light of new technologies.
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“The state is taking this forward with a robotics round-table in Kochi on August 24,” he said. “The other 21 priority areas have been divided into 12 themes and there will be theme-based round-tables soon. In late September, the Lifesciences Park in Thiruvananthapuram will host a round-table and we expect to attract investment worth Rs 500 crore in that space.”
Rajeev said that the government would be reaching out to investors outside the state, too. On August 9, there will be a roadshow in Chennai for investors. “Malayalis overseas have also asked the government to showcase investment opportunities in the state in sunrise sectors. So, we might go overseas, too,” he said. On January 14-15, 2025, a global investor meet, too, is being planned in Kerala. The minister said that the brain drain from the state could be stopped only if high-paying jobs are created at home by strengthening the knowledge economy.
Dinesh Nirmal, senior vice president (Products), IBM Software, said that the event had created greater awareness about GenAI in the state and beyond. “I was happy seeing the confidence of the students who participated in the hackathon on the sidelines of the conclave,” he said. “I have been a student and I have been on stages at that age, but the confidence displayed by the winners and runners-up was remarkable. In the future, the only question that will be asked of us is whether we are relevant or not. So, IBM looks at this conclave not as an accomplishment, but as an achievement. Because an achievement lifts everyone involved in it.”
Rajeev said that Kerala was the only state to enshrine access to the internet as a right. He added that the state has become a contiguous town because of development and connectivity. “Both these factors will strengthen the growth of the knowledge economy in the state,” he said.
