Bengaluru: At a time when India’s digital transformation is redefining everything from classrooms to careers, an unusual gathering in Bengaluru on Wednesday set out to ask a deeper question: What does true inclusion mean in the age of AI?The ‘Changemakers Circle 2025′ on the topic ‘AI & Digital Skilling’, organised by Times Foundation, brought together some of the country’s sharpest minds from govt, technology, and civil society — all united by a single vision: to ensure that India’s digital revolution leaves no one behind.The event began with Karnataka chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh reminding the audience that the state’s youth are its most powerful resource — provided they are given the right skills. Referring to a phone-manufacturing company’s expansion plans in the state, she said it “is setting up its base here with a projection of five lakh jobs over five years. They don’t want degrees — they want 10th or 12th pass youth, preferably girls, who can be moulded and skilled. All we require is a collaborative spirit.”She also underscored Karnataka’s leadership in school-level innovation. “Forty thousand of our students have won Aspire Awards from the govt of India for innovation. This shows the kind of talent we have — we only need to nurture and channel it,” she said, urging philanthropists to help improve not just infrastructure, but the human capital in govt schools. Seconding her was Aruna Goenka, a philanthropist who believed in human energy overpowering AI.Kishore Kumar Thangavel of Microsoft offered a clear framework: “Inclusion begins with empowerment. For us, it means skilling, building digital infrastructure, and enabling innovation. We believe in turning career pathways into applied skill credentials — where learning isn’t just about a certificate, but about what you can do.” He added partnerships between corporates, govts, and educational institutions were no longer optional. “Every CSR project we design begins with a defined role for govt and a defined role for corporate partnerships. That’s the only way to scale.”Surendren M Kishan of CGI brought the discussion closer to the ground, recounting how corporate-NGO collaborations changed lives in rural schools. “We started with 16 schools; now we’re in 100. One girl who could barely speak in class went on to present her project before the Prime Minister. That’s what digital confidence means,” he said. But he cautioned that two vulnerable groups — frontline workers and senior citizens — were being left behind. Abhishek Rajan of Brillio added: “You can’t measure education in quarters. It takes years of patience and consistent engagement.”From innovation to inclusion, Manoj Balachandran of Mu Sigma explained how AI could democratise both hiring and citizen engagement. “Our AI bot ‘Cognitron’ allows us to hire talent from tier-2 and tier-3 towns — 500% productivity gains with inclusivity built in,” he said. He also spoke about the unified citizens engagement platform now being used by four central ministries. “AI-driven agents make a lakh calls a day to inform citizens of welfare schemes. That’s inclusion at scale.”Closing the discussion, Aishwarya Mahajan of M3M Foundation said digital inclusion leads directly to empowerment. “We work with migrant workers, rural women, and youth to build digital confidence. From AI-based education to telemedicine and e-commerce training for women entrepreneurs, we are ensuring that technology becomes a bridge, not a barrier.”
