Karnataka IT Minister engages with Anthropic and global tech leaders to advance responsible AI agenda
Reinforcing Karnataka’s ambition to build a responsible, trusted and globally competitive AI ecosystem, Shri Priyank Kharge, Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Biotechnology and Rural Development, Government of Karnataka, held a series of high-level meetings with global technology leaders and innovation ecosystem partners in New Delhi. The discussions focused on strengthening collaboration in artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and next-generation innovation ecosystems.
Dr Manjula N., IAS, Secretary to Government, Department of Electronics, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, and Shri Rahul Sharanappa Sankanur, IAS, Managing Director, Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), were present during the engagements.
A key highlight was the minister’s meeting with Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, along with Irina Ghose, India managing director, and Rahul Patil, CTO. The discussions centred on responsible AI development, digital governance, data sovereignty, and strengthening support systems for AI startups and developers as Karnataka accelerates its deep-tech ambitions.
India has emerged as Anthropic’s second-largest user base for Claude, with adoption accelerating rapidly among developers and enterprises. The interaction also covered the company’s plans for its Bengaluru office and opportunities to collaborate with Karnataka’s technology and startup ecosystem.
“It was encouraging to discuss deeper collaboration in AI with Anthropic’s leadership. Responsible AI, digital governance, data sovereignty, and stronger support for startups and developers were central to our conversations. We look forward to working together to build a globally competitive and responsible AI ecosystem,” said Shri Priyank Kharge.
On the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the Government of Karnataka also convened a high-level roundtable with Business France under the minister’s leadership. The discussions explored opportunities to strengthen Karnataka–France collaboration in AI, emerging technologies, and the next generation of Global Capability Centres (GCCs). Key themes included AI-first R&D-led GCCs, joint research initiatives, startup collaboration, and industry–academia partnerships across priority sectors.
Building on this shared vision, Karnataka Innovation & Technology Society (KITS) and Link Innovation formalised a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen innovation ties between Karnataka and France, enabling sustained collaboration across startups, enterprises, and research ecosystems.
In addition to engagements with Anthropic and French innovation partners, the minister also interacted with representatives from VivaTech, Imperial College London, Meesho, and Coursera to explore collaborations across deep-tech innovation, skilling, and startup support. Earlier in the day, the department signed a letter of intent with VivaTech to further strengthen Europe–India startup and innovation collaboration.
These engagements underscore Karnataka’s commitment to accelerating AI adoption and deep-tech innovation while contributing to global conversations on safe, ethical and accountable AI — creating strong pathways for talent, startups, and enterprises to scale from Karnataka to global markets.