A new era begins; AI must power governance with a human touch: Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu leads state into AI-powered governance era at workshop in Amaravati.

Setting the tone for Andhra Pradesh’s digital future, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday (April 24, 2025) stated that the State is entering a new era of governance powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) — one that prioritises smart systems, human-centric solutions, and real-time delivery of services.

Mr. Naidu was addressing a workshop on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies for Government Digital Transformation at the Secretariat.

Recounting his journey from struggling for a 2 Mbps internet connection to launching data-driven governance, the Chief Minister highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s long-standing commitment to technological leadership. “Back then, BSNL gave me 2 Mbps – and I used it for audio and video. Today, we’re talking about Gigabits,” he said, crediting the deregulation of the telecom sector and early e-governance initiatives as game-changers.

Underscoring that systems must empower governance, not restrict it, Mr. Naidu said “We have the best brains in the country, especially in the IAS. But our systems make them inefficient. We must now rewrite old, archaic laws and embrace smart, digital systems.

The Chief Minister called for a mindset shift: “Hard work is no longer enough. We must focus on smart, flexible work,” he said, highlighting how digitised file systems, real-time decision-making, and bandwidth-led connectivity are enabling new ways of governance

“Mr. Naidu advocated for every department to develop an AI Champion who would identify and lead the adoption of use cases. From the deployment of drones to control illegal cultivation to Aadhaar-linked home deliveries during disasters,” the Chief Minister shared successful examples of how technology, when used wisely, can transform public service. “Every family must have someone who prepares or applies use cases. This is how we ensure that technology serves the people,” he said.

Speaking passionately about the integration of massive datasets through a State-run Data Lake, enabling predictive governance, Mr. Naidu said the government will integrate all data, and the Planning Department must use it to prepare for the future. Andhra Pradesh would fully saturate critical infrastructure such as housing and sanitation by 2028 or 2029 and leverage Public-Private-People Partnerships (P4) to uplift underprivileged families.