With AI, Karnataka is entering a new phase of industrial transformation: Minister M.B. Patil
The Hindu
Karnataka's industrial transformation through AI emphasises ethical governance, innovation, and collaboration for sustainable growth, says Minister M.B. Patil.
Karnataka is entering a new phase of industrial transformation where artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and trusted digital ecosystems will redefine its global competitiveness, said M.B Patil, Minister for Large & Medium Industries & Infrastructure Development.
“With over 800 R&D centres, over 18,000 start-ups, and nearly 35% of India’s Global Capability Centres, Karnataka is uniquely positioned to lead this transition,” the Minister told the CII Karnataka State Annual Meeting 2025-26 in Bengaluru on March 10.
“Our focus now is not only on ease of doing business, but on the speed of doing business supported by policy stability, digitalised compliance, and a strong innovation ecosystem that empowers industry to scale responsibly and sustainably,” the Minister added.
Kris Gopalakrishnan, former president of CII and co-founder of Infosys, said, “Artificial Intelligence is a transformative technology that will fundamentally redefine what was possible for economies, industries, and societies. The choices we make today as companies, as institutions, and as a nation, will shape India’s economic trajectory for decades to come. While AI offers extraordinary opportunities to expand productivity and democratise expertise, it is equally important that we invest in domestic capabilities, responsible governance, and large-scale reskilling to ensure that the benefits of this revolution are broad-based and inclusive.”
Thomas John Muthoot, Chairperson, CII Southern Region and Chairman & Managing Director of Muthoot Fincorp, said, “Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the way industries operate, but its success will depend not only on technological capability but also on trust, governance, and responsible implementation.
“As businesses integrate AI into their operations, it is essential that organisations focus on inclusive adoption, continuous skilling, and transparent frameworks that balance innovation with ethical responsibility.”

“No lights for twenty kilometres,” says a traffic police personnel about Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road. That statement ignored the fact that high-mast lamps have been planted in the median at certain key junctions (examples include Kolapakkam and Kandigai) and around educational institutions (examples include Tagore Engineering College, Sri Balaji Polytechnic College, Ramanujar Engineering College and Sri Balaji Arts and Science College). But these high-mast lights (some not so high) but they are few in number, some only partly functional, and collectively, cannot undo that damning remark. For all practical purposes, it is a road plunged in darkness. What gives the poor lighting on the road its barbed-wire deadliness is a structural design element on the ground: the low median. It is so low that even a gnat can put all its six legs in one gentle heave, its wings kept folded in a resting state. Do not parse that idea; that is hyperbole, but you get the point. Except for a 400-metre stretch in Vengambakkam where a high median exists, Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road has a dangerously low median that leaks bipeds (human bipeds) quadrapeds (stray cattle), often taking motorists by round-eyed surprise. Dedicated road-crossings become a joke when every point of the median can be forded with the least of efforts.












