Tamil Nadu aims to democratise AI access: Minister T R B Rajaa

Chennai, Dec 10 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Minister T R B Rajaa on Wednesday said AI must "empower and not exclude", stressing that the state’s goal is to democratise access to AI while keeping regulations flexible, human-centric, and updated.

Addressing the inaugural session of a two-day conclave on Safe and Trusted AI, organised by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M)’s Centre for Responsible AI, Rajaa said the state government wants every citizen—including rural workers, students, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and persons with disabilities—to benefit from AI.

The Minister for Industries warned that any exclusion at the "last mile" would amount to a collective failure.

"Every single person should be able to access AI," the minister said.

Calling Tamil Nadu a "knowledge capital" contributing a significant share of India’s higher-education institutions, Rajaa said the state aims to become the country’s AI hub.

"And a true product nation, moving beyond its established strengths in manufacturing and services into AI-driven product development and re‑engineering," he added.

Rajaa, who also oversees the industries portfolio, underlined that MSMEs do the "hard work" of innovation and rapid product development and therefore require strong AI support.

He urged both the Union government and industry to significantly increase funding for research and development and provide researchers with a policy "safety net" that allows them to fail without fear while building indigenous AI capabilities.

Rajaa said AI presents "both an opportunity and a terrifying challenge" for young people, especially in light of the impact smartphones have had on children.

"Before we put this immensely potent power in the hands of young minds, we need to invest in robust mentoring, capacity-building, and safeguards," he said.

On regulation, the minister stressed that rules should act as enablers. "Rather than suffocating innovation, we should be ready to tweak policies as needed," he added.

Describing AI safety as a matter of national security, Rajaa expressed concern over India’s limited high-end computing capacity compared with global technology leaders.

"Why should the country be content to export data and import AI solutions, when institutions in Tamil Nadu are capable of building world-class systems if given adequate, decentralised R&D support?" he asked.

He also called for greater transparency around AI models so that citizens can understand how systems are built and the data on which they are trained.

"Any national AI framework must be developed in consultation with all states, academia, civil society, and independent experts. What works for Tamil Nadu may not be acceptable to states such as Assam or Gujarat," he added.

Speaking at the event, Mohammed Y Safirulla, Director of India AI Mission, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said the conclave is being held in anticipation of the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled from February 15-20 in New Delhi.

Billed as the first major global AI summit hosted in the Global South, the summit aims to shape the future of inclusive, responsible, and resilient AI.

"Hopefully, the discussions during the conclave, in which experts from Japan and Brazil are participating, will lead to strong, actionable outcomes," Safirulla said.

V Kamakoti, Director of IIT-M, described the event as a high-level convening that brings together leaders from government, industry, academia, and the global AI ecosystem, with a strong focus on AI safety and governance for the Global South.

Stating that many people use large language models without understanding how they work or the associated risks, Kamakoti stressed the need to educate the workforce on the responsible use of AI.

"To facilitate this, over 700 AI-related events are planned across India, many in Tamil Nadu. Hopefully, these will lead to effective decisions, a strong protective framework, and mitigation of AI’s potential negative impacts," he said. PTI JR SSK