CHENNAI: The state plans to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) education from the school level to university and create a dedicated AI ecosystem, including an "AI City", as it seeks to position the state as a leader in ethical AI and digital innovation, Tamil Nadu's Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology and Digital Services Minister R Kumar said on Thursday.
The minister said the government envisaged an "AI City" with research centres, global capability centres, centres of excellence and world-class educational institutions to attract talent and encourage skilled professionals working overseas to return to Tamil Nadu. He said that the department has zeroed in on a few sites for setting up the AI city.
Speaking at the opening of the FICCI Digital Disruption and Transformation International Summit & Exhibition 2026 in Chennai, Kumar said the government wanted AI to become a core driver of economic growth and was working to embed AI skills into the education system "from the very beginning" so that students graduate with industry-ready capabilities.
"AI is no longer a technology of the future; it is the foundation of the future," he said, adding that AI would play a critical role in boosting productivity and the state's long-term economic growth.
The minister said the government was committed to developing a Tamil large language model (LLM) and strengthening partnerships with institutions such as the ICT Academy, research hubs, global capability centres and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras to build AI talent and accelerate research.
Stressing responsible adoption, he said AI systems must be ethical, transparent, inclusive and free from bias. "Ethical leadership is mandatory. Data is essential. Prompt engineering is becoming a critical skill," he said.
Atul Anand, Additional Chief Secretary for Information Technology and Digital Services, said AI systems needed to be designed with ethics at their core and complemented by human intelligence. He argued that AI education should begin in schools to prepare students for an increasingly technology-driven workplace and called for a data-sharing policy that would enable wider public benefit from AI applications.
Rajaram Venkataraman, convenor of FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council's Technology Panel, said Tamil Nadu was well positioned to build a responsible AI ecosystem, citing the state's AI research infrastructure, concentration of global technology companies, deep talent pool and growing startup ecosystem.
GSK Velu, chairman of FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council, said the state's ability to attract global investments stemmed from its skilled workforce, supportive policy environment and infrastructure. He said AI had the potential to transform sectors ranging from healthcare and agriculture to education.