‘Lucknow emerging as promising hub for AI innovation in India’

Lucknow: Over 50 IAS officers and senior administrators from across the country participated in the AI Transformation Conclave 2026 held in Lucknow on Friday.

A high-level capacity-building workshop on “The AI-Powered Public Administrator: Competencies for a New Era of Governance” was organised during the conclave. The session was chaired by Subi Chaturvedi, founder of NIHIT and Sherpa of Working Group 7 of the India-US CEO Forum.

Addressing the gathering, Chaturvedi said UP, particularly Lucknow, is emerging as one of the most promising centres for AI innovation in India.

She highlighted that the expansion of deep-tech operations by companies such as InMobi is helping create a strong ecosystem of governance, research, talent, digital infrastructure and entrepreneurship in the state.

Chaturvedi stressed the importance of ethical, accountable, accessible and human-centric AI. She said inclusive growth and a trustworthy technological future can only be achieved through secure and people-friendly AI systems.

The conclave focused essentially on the UP govt’s ambitious AI policy and technology vision. Recently, the state approved India’s first AI City project in Lucknow’s Vrindavan Yojana area at an estimated cost of Rs 368 crore. Additionally, a dedicated allocation of Rs 225 crore has been earmarked for the UP AI Mission.

CEO of the State Transformation Commission, Manoj Kumar Singh, said Uttar Pradesh is steadily moving towards becoming a national model for AI-driven governance.

He added that AI-led reforms would significantly contribute to the state’s target of becoming a trillion-dollar economy.

Principal secretary of the IT and electronics department, Alok Kumar, said govt is fully committed to building robust infrastructure for emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computing and deep-tech innovation.

He noted that the latest state budget includes special provisions for the UP AI Mission, AI City and other emerging technology initiatives.

Discussions during the conclave covered a wide range of themes, including AI ecosystems, cybersecurity, digital governance, MSMEs, start-ups and the role of AI in citizen-centric services.