Odisha Launches ‘AI Champions’ Workshop to Empower Govt Officials for Digital Transformation

Bhubaneswar: In a major step towards embedding artificial intelligence into governance, the Electronics and Information Technology (E&IT) Department of Odisha, in collaboration with the Wadhwani Foundation, inaugurated a four-day workshop titled “AI Champions for Digital Transformation” at the Odisha State Convention Centre today.

The workshop aims to train and empower senior government officials from across departments to drive AI-led innovations and reforms in public service delivery. It is a key component of the Odisha Government’s broader AI roadmap under the recently notified Odisha AI Policy 2025.

Principal Secretary of the E&IT Department, Vishal Kumar Dev, inaugurated the event and emphasized the programme’s strategic importance. “This workshop is not just a capacity-building exercise. It is a mission-critical initiative to develop leadership within departments who will champion AI transformation and help Odisha emerge as a national front-runner in responsible AI adoption,” he said.

Also present at the inaugural session were Vineet Bhardwaj, Executive Director of the Centre for Modernizing Government Initiative (CMGI), Manas Ranjan Panda, Special Secretary, E&IT Department, senior officials from various departments, and key representatives of the Wadhwani Foundation.

Designed as an intensive capacity-building programme, the workshop includes sessions on foundational AI and Machine Learning concepts, with a special focus on Generative AI and its practical applications in governance. From pest management using predictive tools to vision-based systems for road traffic monitoring and AI-powered mid-day meal nutrition assessment, participants were introduced to real-world government use cases that highlight the potential of AI in solving public challenges.

Officials were also trained to identify department-specific problem statements and adopt structured approaches such as DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) frameworks to develop AI-led solutions. The sessions outlined how departments can move from ideation to pilot implementation and eventually scale successful AI solutions statewide.

Distinguishing between mere digitalisation and holistic digital transformation, the workshop provided insights into turning ideas into Proof of Concept (PoC) models. Participants will continue to collaborate with the Wadhwani Foundation to technically refine these models and explore pilot deployment.

Odisha’s commitment to AI-led transformation is underscored by its partnerships with premier institutions like IIT Bhubaneswar, NASSCOM, and BHASHINI. The state is focusing on developing compute infrastructure, innovation labs, curated datasets, and a skilled workforce to support AI adoption across sectors.