The Karnataka government is exploring pilot projects with AI voice company ElevenLabs across skilling, governance, healthcare, investment promotion, culture, and citizen services, as the state looks to identify practical applications of voice and conversational AI in public services.
The discussions were held on August 27 between Karnataka IT and BT Minister Priyank M Kharge and the ElevenLabs team, including Ben Supple, Global Head, Public Sector Partnerships and Policy; Nihal Chauhan, APAC Head, Public Sector Partnerships and Policy; and Arielle Andrews, Chief of Staff and General Counsel.
The proposed pilots could include voice-enabled interview practice and skilling in Indian languages, investor assistance, voice restoration for people who have lost the ability to speak, cultural and public-service applications, and AI safety mechanisms.
The ElevenLabs team demonstrated a voice-enabled interview-practice tool during the meeting and discussed the company’s work on synthetic-audio detection, provenance, traceability, and watermarking.
A key focus of the discussions was the responsible deployment of voice AI in government, particularly the risk of AI-generated voices being used to spread misinformation about government schemes, programmes, and official announcements.
The Minister called for a clear roadmap covering the identified use cases and asked the teams to work towards an initial pilot that can demonstrate tangible public impact.
“Karnataka has an opportunity to be at the forefront of translating AI innovation into better outcomes for citizens,” Kharge said.
“Our approach is to engage with companies that are building some of the most capable technologies globally, understand where those technologies can solve real problems, and then move towards pilots that can be scaled across the state. Whether it is helping a young person prepare for a job, making it easier for an investor to access information, improving citizen services or using AI in healthcare, our focus has to be on building AI delivery models that are effective, efficient, accessible and responsible.”
The discussions form part of Karnataka’s broader effort to work with technology companies and translate advances in AI into public-service delivery models, particularly in areas where AI could simplify access to government services and improve skilling and employment outcomes.
Earlier this month, the state government also held discussions with Anthropic, followed shortly by Sarvam AI. The discussions explored how AI agents can help citizens file remote, quick e-FIRs, or zero FIRs in emergencies, while protecting data sovereignty.
ElevenLabs has also invited the Karnataka minister to participate in the ElevenLabs India Summit in Bengaluru in October, where the company’s leadership is expected to discuss developments in voice AI and its applications in India.
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