HYDERABAD: Demonstrating a new approach to citizen engagement through technology, an AI avatar of IT Minister D Sridhar Babu was unveiled at DevFest 2026 here on Saturday. The AI avatar, described as a pre-AGI digital twin of the minister, interacted with young attendees in English and Telugu, answering questions on the state’s vision and technology-led growth.
The initiative was developed by TensorGo’s HumAIn platform under the guidance of Telangana IT Advisor Sai Krishna.
The first live, on-stage demonstration marks the initial phase of the initiative. In the next phase, the government plans to enable citizens to interact with the AI avatar, share feedback and submit grievances, Sai Krishna said. He added that the AI avatar would help the minister reach a wider audience and gain insights into governance-related concerns and issues faced by citizens at the grassroots level.
The event, organised by Google Developer Group (GDG) Hyderabad, brought together more than 3,300 developers, students, engineers, architects and startup founders. Centred on the theme ‘Build, Secure, Scale: Developers and Builders in the Agentic Era’, the conference featured hands-on sessions led by more than 30 industry experts.
Addressing the gathering, Sridhar said Telangana aimed to become a global AI hub by creating opportunities for young innovators to develop solutions and take them to global markets.
“The next big breakthrough in AI could come from a student, a startup or a young developer, and we want Telangana to be the place where those ideas get the opportunity to grow,” he said.
The conference also featured an experience zone with NFC-enabled smart badges that allowed participants to share their digital resumes with recruiters. The event also featured networking and recruitment opportunities, with companies including Google for Developers, Logitech, Lyric AI, MetLife and MSI participating. GDG Hyderabad said its community had connected with more than 2 lakh technology enthusiasts over the past 13 years and had an active membership of around 20,000 developers.
Joint Secretary (IT) Anudeep Durishetty, TensorGo Software founder Srini Chilukuri, GDG Hyderabad lead Aarshad Devani and others were also present.
