BENGALURU: The state government and the United Kingdom have agreed to deepen collaboration in Artificial Intelligence (AI), online safety and digital innovation following talks between IT BT Minister Priyank Kharge and Kanishka Narayan, UK Minister for AI and Digital Government here on Monday.
The two held wide-ranging discussions on responsible AI, data governance, digital public infrastructure, skilling and startup ecosystems, amid growing technology cooperation between India and the UK.
Kanishka outlined the UK’s focus on accelerating AI adoption while strengthening online safety frameworks, especially for children, and building sovereign capabilities in compute infrastructure and chip design.
Kharge highlighted Karnataka’s position as a global technology hub and its push towards deep-tech, applied research and innovation-led growth. He showcased the state’s startup-friendly procurement model, where the government acts as an early adopter through structured grants and pilot programmes.
A key outcome of the meeting was a proposal to establish a formal Karnataka–UK Innovation Bridge to institutionalise cross-border collaboration. The initiative would include joint incubation spaces, annual startup exchange programmes, collaboration between Centres of Excellence in priority AI sectors, and accelerated market access support.
Kharge said Karnataka would leverage its Global Innovation Alliance to anchor the partnership, while both sides underscored the importance of ethical AI deployment, data sovereignty and strategic independence in emerging technologies. Further discussions are expected at the upcoming AI summit in New Delhi.