Karnataka explores partnership with Anthropic for governance, skilling and deep-tech growth

CM D.K. Shivakumar sought Anthropic’s expertise on how AI could help reduce fraud in government systems and improve the effectiveness, security and confidentiality of setting question papers for examinations conducted by various government agencies and educational institutions.

Updated - August 06, 2026 06:37 pm IST - Bengaluru

The Anthropic delegation was brought to the Chief Minister by Karnataka Minister for Electronics, IT/BT and Home Priyank Kharge, as part of the State’s efforts to engage global AI leaders in building Karnataka’s artificial intelligence ecosystem. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday (August 6, 2026) held discussions with a delegation from Anthropic on forging a long-term partnership to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence across governance, higher education, healthcare, research and the State’s startup ecosystem.

The Anthropic delegation was brought to the Chief Minister by Karnataka Minister for Electronics, IT/BT and Home Priyank Kharge, as part of the State’s efforts to engage global AI leaders in building Karnataka’s artificial intelligence ecosystem.

The meeting focused on deploying applied AI solutions for both government and enterprise use cases, with an emphasis on “beneficial deployment” of AI while ensuring responsible use, data privacy and data sovereignty.

AI in skilling and life sciences

Mr. Shivakumar outlined Karnataka’s vision of building a comprehensive AI ecosystem centred on the proposed AI University, large-scale skilling initiatives and support for deep-tech innovation. Both sides discussed introducing AI-focused certification programmes, including Claude certification, under the state’s NIPUNA initiative to create one of the country’s largest pools of AI-certified talent.

The discussions also covered the use of AI in healthcare and life sciences, including AI for scientific research in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The delegation expressed interest in supporting AI-driven research and skilling programmes in higher education.

Another key area of discussion was enterprise AI adoption, with emphasis on data residency and ensuring sovereign government data is stored on servers within the State. The State government reiterated its “Government First” policy and proposed opening government datasets in a secure manner to enable the development of innovative AI-based public solutions.

The meeting also explored creating department-wise working groups to identify AI applications across e-governance, the Home Department and other government agencies. Responsible AI practices, including safeguards against cyber threats, protection of citizen data and privacy, were discussed as essential elements of future deployments.

During the discussions, Mr. Shivakumar also sought Anthropic’s expertise on how AI could help reduce fraud in government systems and improve the effectiveness, security and confidentiality of setting question papers for examinations conducted by various government agencies and educational institutions.

He also proposed subsidising access to Anthropic’s Claude AI platform for higher education institutions, including Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), to strengthen AI education and research.

Both sides explored collaborations to support Karnataka’s startup ecosystem, with Anthropic extending support to the State’s more than 20,000 startups, particularly in the deep-tech sector. AI applications in areas such as tax collection and public service delivery were also identified as potential pilot projects.

The meeting further examined partnerships with non-governmental organisations and public institutions to ensure AI technologies are deployed for broader social benefit.

The Anthropic delegation was lead by Michael Sellitto, Head of International Policy at the company.

Published - August 06, 2026 05:17 pm IST

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