Naidu pushes ‘tech-driven decision-making’ and wider AI use in Andhra Pradesh governance
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu asked officials to expand technology-led governance and step up the use of AI tools to speed up decisions and grievance resolution. Officials said hundreds of services are being delivered via a WhatsApp-based platform, reflecting how digital channels are becoming central to public service delivery.
- Reporting desk
- Health India Network News Desk
- First published
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has asked state officials to expand technology-driven governance and increase the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across departments. The direction was framed as part of a broader push to improve administrative efficiency, support faster decision-making and reduce pressure on field staff by using data-driven tools.
During a review with officials from multiple departments, Naidu suggested the state work towards positioning 2026 as a year focused on “technology-driven decision-making”. He encouraged departments to explore AI tools for faster resolution of citizen grievances and better service delivery outcomes, alongside training and monitoring to ensure adoption is meaningful and measurable.
WhatsApp governance and scale of service delivery
Officials cited the scale of digital service delivery already underway through the Mana Mitra platform, which uses WhatsApp as a service channel. According to the briefing, 878 government services are being delivered through the platform and around 1.43 crore people have used these services so far, indicating deep penetration of messaging-led government interfaces.
The emphasis on WhatsApp as a delivery layer reflects a practical policy choice: meeting citizens where they already are rather than relying only on standalone government portals. For departments, it can also shorten the distance between complaint submission and action, if workflows, response teams and accountability are properly mapped.
What the AI push could mean on the ground
Naidu’s direction places AI in the role of an enabling layer—helping prioritise cases, surface patterns from large datasets and support faster triaging of complaints. But the real test will be governance design: how decisions are audited, how bias risks are managed, and how outcomes are tracked in public-facing dashboards or internal performance reviews.
As Indian states experiment with digital public infrastructure and automation, Andhra Pradesh’s push signals a renewed attempt to institutionalise AI-assisted administration, with citizen services and grievance redressal positioned as the most immediate, visible use cases.