From IT to AI: Karnataka unveils vision to make Kannada future-proof in AI era

BENGALURU: Amid growing global concerns that the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) could displace human jobs across sectors, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday stressed the urgent need to equip the Kannada language to face technological disruptions and safeguard the interests of Kannadigas.Speaking at the 70th Kannada Rajyotsava (Karnataka Formation Day) celebrations at the Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium, Siddaramaiah urged linguists, scholars, researchers, and tech innovators to work together to make Kannada compatible with emerging technologies.

Addressing the state from Bengaluru — the tech capital of India — the Chief Minister struck a balance between cultural pride and technological preparedness, emphasising that Kannada must be ready to embrace the future.

“The IT era is fast transitioning into an AI era, and with this shift, the fear of job loss is real. However, the state government is determined to take the Kannada language, heritage, and culture to the global stage.

As part of this endeavour, we are committed to preparing Kannada to face new technological challenges and prevent job losses due to artificial intelligence on Kannada soil,” he said.Reiterating the need for a strong intellectual ecosystem around Kannada and technology, Siddaramaiah appealed to scholars and technocrats to collaborate in making Kannada a language of the future.

He also urged the Union government to introduce supportive legislation to promote education in the mother tongue.Pointing to decades of neglect of Kannada in academic systems, he said, “A crisis that the world’s advanced languages never faced has now emerged for languages like Kannada. Children in developed nations think, learn, and dream in their mother tongues, but we face the opposite situation. English and Hindi have created linguistic barriers and weakened children’s talents.

It is time for suitable laws to ensure education begins in the mother tongue.

”Oppose everything that is against Kannada: CMSiddaramaiah also criticised the Centre for what he described as its “stepmotherly attitude” towards Karnataka, alleging that the state has been consistently denied its rightful share of funds despite being a major contributor to the national exchequer.“Karnataka has been neglected for years despite generating top revenue. We are deprived of several thousand crores every year.

There is a continuous attempt to impose Hindi. While funds are granted for the development of Hindi and Sanskrit, other Indian languages, including Kannada, are ignored. Projects that should support Karnataka’s development are withheld. We must oppose everything that is against Karnataka,” he asserted.The chief minister added that nation-building extends beyond infrastructure development. “A truly developed nation does not mean only roads, rail lines, bridges, airports, and electricity. It also means teaching children to approach differences in language, culture, religion, caste, and lifestyle with sensitivity and tolerance,” he said.