AI should enhance human creativity: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said Artificial Intelligence must remain a tool to enhance human creativity and not replace artists, stressing ethical use, protection of intellectual property and fair compensation in the AVGC-XR sector.
He also called upon industry leaders to invest in original content, educational institutions to modernise curricula, young creators to dream fearlessly and global partners to collaborate with Karnataka.
Speaking after inaugurating the seventh edition of Bengaluru GAFX- Games, Animation and Visual Effects Conference, themed "Evolution Reloaded", here, he said Karnataka's commitment to the AVGC-XR sector was not recent or reactive, asserting, "We have been pioneers."
Siddaramaiah recalled that in 2017, Karnataka became the first state in India to implement a dedicated (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics) AVGC policy.
"That decision was driven by foresight, recognising that content creation would become as powerful as code creation," he said.
"Today, GAFX represents the next great frontier. The Games, Animation and Visual Effects sector is no longer a small creative industry. In the era of digital revolution, immersive media, streaming platforms, e-sports, and extended reality, GAFX is shaping how humanity experiences stories, culture, education and even governance," he said.
The CM said the government is implementing its third AVGC-XR Policy for 2024-2029, reflecting sustained commitment to the sector.
"Our AVGC-XR Policy has provided incentives, infrastructure support, skill-building initiatives, incubation systems, and institutional collaboration to nurture this ecosystem," he said.
On Artificial Intelligence, Siddaramaiah said it is transforming content pipelines and enhancing productivity, but cautioned that it must remain a tool and not a substitute for human imagination.
"Technology should amplify human potential, not erase it. The soul of storytelling is human emotion, something no algorithm can replicate in its fullness," he said.
Calling for ethical usage of AI, he said, "Respect for intellectual property, data privacy, fair compensation, and skill upgradation must be central."
Emphasising expansion beyond Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said digital creative clusters are being promoted in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Kalaburagi and other emerging cities.
"We want the next great game designer or VFX innovator to emerge not only from the capital, but from every district of Karnataka," he said.
The CM said Karnataka should be known not only as the Silicon Valley of India but also as the "Creative Capital" of the Digital World.
Siddaramaiah said the state is reimagining tourism through Augmented Reality and integrating immersive AVGC-XR technologies into education, medical training through simulation, and digital preservation of cultural heritage.
He said the sector is both an economic and civilisational opportunity, empowering youth and enabling rural talent to create global content.
With the potential to create 20 lakh jobs over the next five years, the sector would generate employment across design, coding, storytelling, music, motion capture, AI modelling and production management, he said.
Calling for structured skill development, the CM said educational institutions must integrate AVGC-XR skills into mainstream education.
Outlining five strategic priorities, Siddaramaiah said the state would focus on building a future-ready talent pipeline, strengthening infrastructure, supporting startups and original intellectual property, expanding opportunities beyond Bengaluru, and building global partnerships.
While encouraging innovation in animation and gaming, he said, "We must also uphold responsibility, promoting ethical game design that avoids glorifying violence, safeguards the mental well-being of children, and encourages creativity, critical thinking and positive social values."
The chief minister assured that the government is committed to policies that protect human creators and users while empowering them with new tools.
"We will ensure that progress is inclusive. The digital revolution must not widen inequality; it must democratise opportunity," he said.
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Judiciary cut through web of lies: Kavitha after court clears her name in Delhi excise policy case
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Jagruthi president K Kavitha on Friday expressed relief over being discharged in the Delhi excise policy case and said the judiciary has cut through the "web of lies" in the case.
Kavitha, daughter of BRS president and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, said she has always maintained that the case was politically motivated, foisted on "opposition parties" as part of a political vendetta.
"Satyamev Jayate (truth alone triumphs). This (case) was a web of lies. Judiciary has cut right through it," she told reporters here.
A Delhi court on Friday discharged former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, Kavitha and 20 others in the politically charged liquor policy case, pulling up the CBI by saying it found no "overarching conspiracy or criminal intent" in the policy.
Kavitha said her family members, including her husband, in-laws, and parents, and Telangana Jagruthi workers stood by her during her difficult times, and thanked them for their support.
Her father, Chandrasekhar Rao, himself time and again, said that the case was a vendetta against him and BRS which was reflected on her, she said.
"Who will account for the time that I lost with my kids (due to her incarceration for five months)? Who will account for the time that I lost with my family," she asked.
Who will answer for her alleged harassment online and abuses in public meetings (by political leaders), she further asked.
Asked if she would like to share her happiness with her father KCR and brother and BRS Working President K T Rama Rao, she said she took her mother's blessings after coming to know about the court verdict.
"I took my mother's blessings after getting this result. This is not the time to talk about other things. I am thankful to all those who stood by me during this case," she said.
Arrested in March 2024, Kavitha walked out of Tihar jail in Delhi on August 29 the same year after the Supreme Court granted her bail in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy case.
Kavitha was suspended from the BRS in September, 2025 after she accused her cousins and party leaders T Harish Rao and J Santosh Kumar of "tarnishing" her father's image over the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project built during the BRS regime.
Since her suspension, she has been focusing on public issues under the banner of Telangana Jagruthi, a cultural organisation she heads.
She also announced in December last year that her political platform would contest the next assembly elections in the state.
