Bhubaneswar is set to emerge as a key hub for artificial intelligence innovation as the state prepares to host the Regional AI Impact Conference Odisha from December 18 to 20. A curtain raiser event held in the city on Wednesday marked the beginning of a significant journey that positions Odisha among the frontrunners in the adoption and deployment of artificial intelligence across governance and critical public sectors. Organised by the Electronics and IT Department of the Government of Odisha, the conference will act as an official precursor to the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

According to an official release, the curtain raiser offered a comprehensive preview of Odisha’s forward looking AI vision, evolving policy framework, and an expanding portfolio of real world AI deployments. The event highlighted how the state is steadily integrating artificial intelligence into governance, healthcare, education, agriculture, and public service delivery to create measurable and scalable impact.

Speaking at the event, Electronics and IT Minister Mukesh Mahaling emphasised that Odisha is adopting a future ready approach to technology led growth. He stated that with the Odisha AI Policy 2025, along with progressive policies in fintech, global capability centres, and advanced electronics, the state is creating a clear, responsible, and investor-friendly ecosystem for population scale AI adoption. He underlined that Odisha’s focus goes beyond digital infrastructure to building a complete innovation ecosystem supported by strong governance, world class digital capabilities, and long-term policy certainty. The minister reiterated that the state aims to enable enterprises to build, scale, and lead from Odisha.

Principal Secretary Vishal Dev added that the Regional AI Impact Conference will demonstrate tangible progress on the ground, bring stakeholders together around a shared roadmap, and catalyse sustainable collaborations across sectors. He noted that the conference will play a vital role in aligning government, industry, academia, and research institutions to accelerate Odisha’s AI journey.

The summit is expected to witness the signing of key memoranda of understanding and the formalisation of strategic partnerships that will further strengthen Odisha’s AI ecosystem. It will also showcase the state’s advancements across priority sectors and build momentum for long term AI initiatives by fostering alignment among multiple stakeholders.

A key highlight of the event will be the IndiaAI working group meeting jointly convened by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Government of Odisha on December 18. This meeting will bring together representatives from central and state governments, academia, and industry to deliberate on operationalising the IndiaAI Mission, with a strong focus on data infrastructure, compute capacity, skilling, and sector specific AI use cases.

The Regional AI Impact Conference aims to demonstrate how Odisha has already begun implementing AI solutions in healthcare, education, agriculture, and governance while also creating a national platform to shape discussions on AI in governance, research, data infrastructure, and inclusive growth. The conference will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and technology experts from across India and abroad to align on Odisha’s long term AI priorities and partnerships.

This landmark regional event aligns closely with India’s national artificial intelligence framework, which is guided by three core Sutras of People for inclusive empowerment, Planet for sustainability, and Progress for equitable benefits. It also reflects the seven Chakras of the national AI vision including Human Capital, Inclusion for Social Empowerment, Safe and Trusted AI, Resilience, Innovation and Efficiency, Science, Democratising AI Resources, and AI for Economic Development and Social Good. With this conference, Odisha is positioning itself as a strategic leader in India’s AI driven future while contributing meaningfully to the country’s national AI mission.