AP At Forefront Of Data Revolution Opportunities

Vijayawada:Education and IT minister Nara Lokesh has said Andhra Pradesh is positioning itself at the forefront of opportunities arising from the global data revolution.

He spoke at the Investopia Global – Andhra Pradesh Conference organised by the economic development board here on Wednesday.

During a session discussing AI and data centers, the minister announced that the first 152-bit quantum computer in South Asia would come up in Amaravati in January. Visakhapatnam, he said, is evolving into a data city with some international companies planning to set up data centres there.

Highlighting the need for educational reforms, the minister said, "We are introducing AI skill development programmes in polytechnic, degree, and engineering education to align these with global advancements.” He emphasized the need for significant curriculum changes involving courses in AI and quantum computing.

"The goal of our government is to provide enhanced services to the public through the application of AI in everyday governance," Lokesh explained.

The minister recounted how he witnessed citizens facing difficulties in accessing land records, from the interactions during his padayatra (walkathon), which propelled the government to focus on leveraging AI for easier citizen services. Through the initiative called Mana Mitra, the government has introduced WhatsApp governance to expedite the delivery of 600 types of citizen services.

"We have created one of the largest backend data lakes by connecting various government departments for this purpose," he said.

The minister cited the United Arab Emirates as a model in embracing AI technology. It was the first country to establish a ministry of AI. The UAE employs AI in traffic management.

Lokesh refuted fears that AI would lead to job losses, asserting, "I believe every industrial revolution creates new jobs."

Lokesh forecast that AP would emerge as a $2.4trillion economy in the near future. “We would strengthen the digital economy through mutual cooperation with the UAE as part of a government-to-government collaboration.”

“We are exploring avenues to fuel economic growth through AI, data centres, digital innovations and smart governance,” he stated.

In a fireside chat, Lokesh expressed his fondness for the AI application ChatGPT.

Discussions took place between the minister and the UAE's finance minister Abdula Bin Touq Al Marri regarding investments in renewable energy, infrastructure, digital governance, AI-first universities, genome sequencing, quantum valley, and logistics sectors. The UAE minister invited Lokesh for a visit to the UAE to further discuss cooperation in these areas.

Also present at the event were Manuj Jain, CEO of G42 India, while Raksha Shrestha served as the moderator.