Pune, 21 August 2025: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state government is actively encouraging the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture to make farming easier and more profitable for farmers. He noted that AI chatbots have already been developed to answer farmers’ queries in their local language, making the technology a direct “assistant” in day-to-day farming.
Fadnavis was speaking at the inauguration of the Symbiosis Artificial Intelligence Institute (SAII) at Symbiosis International University, Lavale, on Wednesday. Symbiosis founder-president Dr. S.B. Mujumdar, Pro-Chancellor Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ramakrishnan Raman and SAII Director Dr. Lovleen Gaur were present.
At the event, Fadnavis stressed that AI is being integrated across law and order, governance, technology, and agriculture, with training programs planned to spread basic AI knowledge among citizens. He added that while AI offers great opportunities, it also poses risks such as digital fraud and deepfakes, making responsible use essential.
Dr. Mujumdar pointed out that SAII is the first institute in the state to provide AI education at the undergraduate level across arts, commerce and science streams, calling AI a key driver of the “fourth industrial revolution.” A multilingual AI virtual assistant “SAII” was also launched during the ceremony.
Meanwhile, the state government has signed an agreement with Google to address Pune’s growing traffic congestion. CCTV camera data will be linked with Google systems to provide real-time updates to commuters, suggest alternate routes, and monitor bottlenecks more efficiently.
On the agricultural front, the government has announced funding support to promote AI-based technologies among farmers and related institutions. Experts, however, emphasized that these funds must reach farmers quickly. The Agricultural Development Trust in Baramati noted that AI-driven farming could significantly raise productivity and increase state revenue by up to ₹50,000 crore, thereby accelerating overall growth.
