The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Karnataka State Council hosted the CII Karnataka State Annual Meeting 2025-26 today in Bengaluru under the theme “Industrial AI Transformation and Trust.”
Addressing the CII Karnataka Annual Meeting, Mr MB Patil, Minister for Large & Medium Industries & Infrastructure Development, Government of KarnatakaGovernment of Karnataka cited, “Karnataka is entering a new phase of industrial transformation where artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and trusted digital ecosystems will redefine global competitiveness. With over 800 R&D centres, 18,000+ start-ups, and nearly 35% of India’s Global Capability Centres, Karnataka is uniquely positioned to lead this transition. Our focus now is not only on ease of doing business, but on the speed of doing business supported by policy stability, digitalised compliance, and a strong innovation ecosystem that empowers industry to scale responsibly and sustainably.”
Delivering the keynote address Mr Kris Gopalakrishnan, Past President, CII and Co-founder, Infosys highlighted “Artificial Intelligence is a transformative technology that will fundamentally redefine what is possible for economies, industries, and societies. The choices we make today as companies, as institutions and as a nation will shape India’s economic trajectory for decades to come. While AI offers extraordinary opportunities to expand productivity and democratize expertise, it is equally important that we invest in domestic capabilities, responsible governance, and large-scale reskilling to ensure that the benefits of this revolution are broad-based and inclusive.”
Offering a special address, Mr Thomas John Muthoot, Chairman, CII Southern Region and Chairman & Managing Director, Muthoot Fincorp, emphasized on “Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the way industries operate, but its success will depend not only on technological capability but also on trust, governance, and responsible implementation. As businesses integrate AI into their operations, it is essential that organizations focus on inclusive adoption, continuous skilling, and transparent frameworks that balance innovation with ethical responsibility.
At the same time, leadership and boards must strengthen governance structures to address emerging challenges such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, and responsible use of digital systems.
Mr Rabindra Srikantan, Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council 2025–26 and Managing Director, ASM Technologies, “Today, industry is experiencing a profound shift in how humans, machines, and intelligent systems work together across manufacturing and industrial value chains. As AI moves beyond assisting human judgment to enabling autonomous decisions, trust becomes the critical link between advanced technology and human confidence. This trust must be built through strong ethical frameworks, transparent governance, and accountability—ensuring that AI not only drives efficiency and innovation, but also supports responsible and sustainable industrial transformation.”
Mr Guruprasad Mudlapur, Vice Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council 2025–26 and President, Bosch Group in India & Managing Director Bosch Ltd. highlighted “Industrial AI has evolved from experimentation to a core driver of productivity, quality, and resilience in manufacturing. Karnataka, with its engineering talent, innovation ecosystem, and industry-academia ties, is poised to lead, but success demands joint action across the ecosystem: SMEs, MSMEs, and MNCs collaborating on scaling AI for predictive maintenance, automation, and data-driven production. Equally critical are trusted digital ecosystems rooted in data security, transparency, and responsible AI to fuel this shared transformation.”
The event also featured an industry panel discussion on “Industrial AI Transformation and Talent Integration,” moderated by Mr N Venu, Immediate Past Chairman, CII Karnataka and Managing Director & CEO – India and South Asia, Hitachi Energy & Managing Director, Hitachi India cited “Industrial AI is reshaping manufacturing by enabling faster, data-driven decisions across operations and value chains. The real opportunity lies not just in deploying advanced technologies, but in integrating them seamlessly with legacy systems, skilled talent, and trusted digital frameworks. Organisations that successfully combine human expertise with intelligent systems will unlock higher productivity, resilience, and long-term industrial competitiveness.”
At this meet, CII Karnataka also announced the election of New Office bearers for CII Karnataka State Council for the year 2026 -27. Mr Guruprasad Mudlapur, President, Bosch Group in India & Managing Director, Bosch Ltd elected as the Chairman while Mr Sam Cherian, Managing Director, Schevaran Laboratories Pvt Ltd will serve as the Vice Chairman.
The event brought together leading industry voices, technology experts, and business leaders to deliberate on how artificial intelligence is transforming industrial ecosystems and the importance of building trust, governance, and talent capabilities in the AI-driven economy. The session highlighted Karnataka’s growing leadership in digital innovation and advanced technologies, reinforcing the state’s role as a key hub for technology-driven industrial transformation in India.
Leading industries including ASM Technologies Ltd, Bosch Ltd, Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Pvt Ltd, Maini Materials Movement Pvt Ltd, 3M India Ltd, Bangalore International Airport Ltd, Schevaran Laboratories Pvt Ltd, N Rangarao Sons Pvt Ltd, Sri Kauvery Medical Care India Ltd, Kennametal India Ltd, Hitachi Energy Ltd, Volvo Group India Ltd, Brigade Enterprises Ltd, & Alliance University shared and showcased their insights which was attended by over 100 industry CXO’s and stakeholders across sectors.
