Kerala Bets Big on AI Future as Kunhalikutty Returns to Industries and IT
Kerala is doubling down on its technology ambitions. With the formation of the new V.D. Satheesan-led government, veteran leader P.K. Kunhalikutty has been handed charge of one of its most consequential portfolios – Industries, Commerce, Information Technology, and a freshly minted Artificial Intelligence ministry. The move makes Kerala among the first Indian states to elevate AI to a dedicated cabinet-level post, a signal that the new government sees technology not as an afterthought, but as the engine of Kerala’s next growth chapter.
Kunhalikutty is no newcomer to this territory. One of Kerala’s most seasoned political figures, he previously steered the Industries and IT portfolios under earlier United Democratic Front governments, leaving behind a legacy that still shapes the state’s digital landscape. The most enduring of those contributions is the Akshaya Project – a groundbreaking e-literacy programme launched in Malappuram district in the early 2000s that grew from a local experiment into one of India’s most celebrated digital inclusion models. By bringing computer literacy and e-governance services to villages and semi-urban communities, Akshaya transformed how ordinary Keralites accessed the digital world. That it started in Malappuram, Kunhalikutty’s home district, makes the story all the more personal.
Now, with AI rewriting the rules of global development, he returns to familiar ground with a far larger mandate. His portfolio spans industries, commerce, start-ups, mining and geology, handlooms, and textiles – sectors central to Kerala’s economic recovery and job creation – alongside the cutting-edge challenge of weaving artificial intelligence into governance, healthcare, education, and public services.
Industry watchers say his decades of administrative experience and on-the-ground understanding of development could prove invaluable as Kerala tries to carve out a serious identity as an innovation and investment destination. There is also a continuity argument: the foundations he helped build in IT infrastructure and entrepreneurship now give the state a running start as it pivots toward AI-driven systems.
The Satheesan government has framed its broader agenda around a “Future Kerala” vision – sustainable growth, knowledge industries, start-up ecosystems, and employment – and the AI portfolio fits squarely within that ambition. For a state already internationally recognised for its human development indicators and digital governance record, the question now is whether it can convert that reputation into a thriving, technology-led economy. Kunhalikutty’s return to the helm suggests the government is betting that experienced hands, paired with forward-looking policy, can make that leap.
