Bhubaneswar, Dec 19 (NationPress) Odisha's Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi highlighted the government’s dedication to creating an AI-driven Odisha on Friday, focusing on enhancing governance, improving service delivery, and empowering citizens through innovations centered around the public.

During his virtual address at the inauguration of the Regional AI Impact Conference in Odisha, CM Majhi stated, “We are not simply adopting AI; we are laying the groundwork for an AI-powered Odisha. This initiative will bolster governance, accelerate service delivery, and empower citizens. India is experiencing a monumental technological transformation, and Odisha is proud to be a proactive and ambitious participant in this national endeavor.”

The opening of the Regional AI Impact Conference marked the beginning of a prestigious two-day event aimed at promoting AI for governance, development, and public benefit.

According to an official announcement, this two-day conference serves as the precursor to the AI Impact Summit 2026, set to take place in New Delhi in February 2026.

It positions Odisha alongside states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, Gujarat, Telangana, and Kerala, playing a pivotal role in building momentum leading up to the AI Impact Summit 2026.

On the first day of the conference, experts engaged in discussions on various significant topics such as Transformation Roadmaps for AI in Indian states, the Impact of AI Research and Innovation, and Unlocking the Future of AI through Education.

A major highlight of the inaugural day was the launch of the Odisha Vision 2036 Immersive AI Zone; a 360-degree experience providing visitors with an insightful glimpse into an AI-enabled future, illustrating Odisha’s vision for transformation across sectors such as healthcare, education, disaster management, governance, and citizen services—demonstrating how emerging technologies can enhance lives on a large scale,” stated the state government.

The three primary objectives of the Regional AI Impact Conference are to position Odisha as a leader in leveraging AI for impact, foster ecosystem engagement to accelerate the implementation of AI use cases, and showcase the State’s increasing capabilities in AI research and innovation.

On this occasion, Principal Secretary of the Electronics & IT department of Odisha, Vishal Dev, shared insights about several key partnerships established by the Odisha government with organizations such as OpenAI (to enhance AI capacity building for students and government officials and support pilot AI use cases); Wadhwani AI (focused on oral reading fluency and nudges for Subhadra beneficiaries); Sarvam AI (to resolve issues in scheme delivery); and TCS (to improve efficiency and productivity in the e-File management system).

He also introduced Sushasan Sah’AI’Yak, an AI-powered chatbot designed to assist government officials in enhancing productivity and efficiency.

Attendees at the conference included Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, Odisha’s Electronics and Information Technology minister, Sudeep Shrivastav, Joint Secretary, MeitY, Government of India, Dr. Ahmed Hefnawy, AI Governance Expert from Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and IT, Debjani Ghosh, Chief Architect of NITI Frontier Tech Hub, and Manoj Ahuja, Chief Secretary of Odisha.