From flood lessons to heat stress forecasts, experts outline AI roadmap for Kerala

Noted academic-turned-entrepreneur Vijay Chandru has urged Kerala to prepare for the accelerating convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and life sciences.

The Chairperson of the Board of Governors of Digital University Kerala (DUK) also said universities must anticipate technological disruption instead of merely reacting to emergent scenarios.

Speaking at a consultative discussion on ’Information Technology – Digital revolution in the era of AI’ organised as part of the ’Vision 2031 International Conference on Development and Democracy’ here on Monday, Prof. Chandru pointed out the cost of sequencing DNA has dropped dramatically over 25 years. This has created unprecedented opportunities in preventive healthcare and genetic diagnostics.

He also stressed on AI-driven climate forecasting systems that are capable of providing heat stress predictions at granular administrative levels and suggested the State could integrate such systems into its disaster preparedness planning.

’Different from IT’

DUK Vice-Chancellor Saji Gopinath observed that Kerala’s IT success model cannot simply be replicated for the AI era. AI requires redesigning workflows and integrating knowledge with skills, he pointed out.

Dr. Gopinath also highlighted a structural gap in the country’s IT education ecosystem. While knowledge is delivered in colleges, skills are acquired in private training centres. Students often prioritise tool-based skills that ensure immediate employment, but such a model is inadequate for deep-tech and AI-driven innovation.

He proposed integrating skills and knowledge within university curricula through work-integrated learning. Drawing parallels with medical education, where students graduate industry-ready due to simultaneous hospital training, he called for embedding industry ecosystems within campuses.

’AI for public good’

Deepak Padmanabhan, Associate Professor of AI at Queen’s University, Belfast, felt the State must deploy AI for public good while guarding against opaque and exploitative systems.

Referring to lessons from the 2018 floods, he proposed integrating AI-driven extreme weather alerts into mobile emergency broadcast systems to complement SMS alerts. Such infrastructure could also help manage human-animal conflict incidents through rapid public communication.

He also warned that gig economy platforms rely on opaque AI algorithms and piece-rate wage models that create income uncertainty. Kerala could pioneer a worker-friendly digital platform by offering time-based wages and predictable work allocation using transparent AI systems, he suggested.

Dr. Padmanabhan called for an AI Bill of Rights with focus on real accountability rather than procedural compliance. Such regulation should create barriers for unaccountable AI, while enabling socially beneficial innovation.

Kerala State Planning Board member V. Namasivayam, Information Technology Department Special Secretary Sreeram Sambasiva Rao, Kerala Startup Mission chief executive (CEO) officer Anoop Ambika, IIT Tirupati Associate Professor Roshan K. Srivastav, University of the Basque Country Professor Eneko Agirre, Genrobotics Innovations co-founder and CEO Vimal Govind M.K. and Open Financial Technologies co-founder and chief operating officer Mabel Chacko also spoke. (EOM)