Panaji : The government on Monday launched the Goa AI Mission, 2027, aimed at developing an artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem in the local economy. The larger goal of the mission is to make Goan youth future-ready for jobs in the IT industry, where growth is expected to be driven by AI.
As part of the mission, 240 digital services offered through the Goa Online platform of the Department of IT will now be provided by AI-powered chatbots.
All government departments will have chatbots to address consumer queries on services.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who unveiled the AI Mission, said that the government will soon constitute an AI Council Body, with members drawn from companies that specialise in AI.
The functioning of the Council, its members, etc., will be decided shortly.
The launch of the AI Mission came in late at night, around at 10.30 pm, and after 3-4 hours of brainstorming by local IT professionals, officials from the Department of IT, and startup founders, among others, on encouraging startups that utilise AI. Post the session, IT company founders said that they need capital, supportive government policies, infrastructure, and more AI-based startups in the fray to make the mission a success.
“Goa is known as the tourist capital of India. In the future the state will be known as the design capital,” said Sawant, adding that “in the next six months the AI mission will start showing results.”
Sawant spoke in the presence of the IT Minister Rohan Khaunte, the Department of IT Director Kabir Shirgaonkar, and the Goa Technology Association president Mangirish Salelkar.
“Goa has over 550 DPIIT-recognised startups, and the government is going all out to create more startups by supporting college students who choose entrepreneurship,” said Khaunte. The state has about 350 small and medium-sized IT companies (including startups), of which about 25 companies are purely in AI.
