Telangana unveils AI avatar of IT minister D Sridhar Babu at Hyderabad DevFest 2026

Google Developer Group concluded DevFest 2026 in Hyderabad on Saturday (Oct 24), bringing together over 3,300 developers, students, engineers, architects and founders. The event's most talked-about moment was the live on-stage debut of an AI avatar, a pre-AGI digital twin of Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Telangana Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Industries & Commerce, and Legislative Affairs.

Built on TensorGo's HumAIn platform, an enterprise-grade system for deploying pre-AGI AI teammates, the avatar fielded questions from Gen Z attendees in both English and Telugu. Questions covered the State's vision and technology-led growth. The demonstration showed how AI could make information about government priorities more accessible and open new channels for citizen engagement.

Sridhar Babu addressed the gathering virtually with a keynote, "Innovation at Scale," saying the State wants young innovators at the centre of its push to become a global AI hub. "The next big breakthrough in AI could come from a student, a startup or a young developer," he said.

“As Telangana works towards becoming a global AI hub, we want our young innovators to be at the centre of that journey. We have the talent and ambition; our focus is on building an ecosystem where young people can turn their ideas into solutions and take them to the world. The next big breakthrough in AI could come from a student, a startup or a young developer, and we want Telangana to be the place where those ideas get the opportunity to grow.”

Sai Krishna, IT Advisor to the ITEC Minister, described the launch as Phase One. Phase Two aims to let citizens interact with the avatar directly, share feedback and submit grievances. He said the avatar is intended to help the minister reach more people and surface grassroots concerns.

Anudeep Durishetty, IAS, Joint Secretary of the IT, Electronics and Communications Department, linked the effort to initiatives such as AI City, AIKAM, GCCs and the Quantum District, aimed at building a $1 trillion economy by 2034.

The event, themed "Build, Secure, Scale: Developers and Builders in the Agentic Era," featured sessions led by more than 30 industry experts. NFC-enabled smart badges let attendees share digital résumés with recruiters, and the organisers eliminated single-use plastics across the venue.

GDG Hyderabad, which has been active for 13 years, reports over 200,000 tech enthusiasts connected and 20,000 active members.