As India accelerates its journey towards becoming a global leader in Artificial Intelligence, citizen engagement remains central to ensuring that AI adoption is ethical, inclusive, and trustworthy. Technology cannot succeed in isolation; it must evolve with people at its heart. MyGov, the Government of India’s citizen engagement platform, plays a critical role in bridging policymakers and citizens, especially in emerging areas such as AI policy, governance, and adoption.
The launch of MyGov in July 2014 marked a decisive moment in India’s governance journey, signalling a fundamental shift in how the state engages with its citizens in a rapidly digitising democracy. Conceived under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, MyGov was born out of the belief that effective governance in the 21st century cannot rely solely on top-down administration. Instead, it must actively harness the collective intelligence, creativity and lived experience of citizens through participatory governance.
From the outset, MyGov was envisioned not merely as a feedback portal but as a collaborative interface between citizens and government. Built around the principles of discussion, participation, dissemination and demand, the platform sought to institutionalise dialogue between policymakers and the public. A key focus for MyGov has been citizen engagement, awareness and responsible use of technology among young Indians. Initiatives like YUVAi: Youth for Unnati and Vikas with AI reflect this vision. Launched as a multi-phase programme beginning in 2022, YUVAi was designed for students of Classes 8 to 12 to develop AI-based solutions for real-world social challenges while promoting ethical AI use. Participants received certificates, and select students showcased their projects on national platforms, including an interaction with the Hon’ble Prime Minister in 2022. The programme demonstrated how early exposure can inspire innovation, confidence, and responsibility among young minds.
MyGov has also supported responsible AI initiatives on global platforms. During India’s hosting of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit, MyGov enabled engagement through initiatives such as the AI Gamechangers Award 2023, which recognised ethical AI solutions delivering meaningful societal impact. These efforts helped showcase Indian innovation globally and reinforced India’s leadership in responsible AI.
At its core, MyGov’s mandate goes beyond information dissemination, it is about co-creation. In the AI domain, MyGov functions as a two-way bridge where citizens not only learn about policies but actively shape them. Through consultations, quizzes, challenges, and crowdsourcing initiatives, citizens engage with AI governance, raise concerns, and contribute ideas. This participatory approach strengthens trust, transparency, and relevance in India’s AI ecosystem.
Over the past few years, MyGov has hosted several impactful AI and data-governance initiatives. The Data Privacy Quiz 2023 recorded encouraging participation, reflecting growing public awareness of digital rights. Consultations on the Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 witnessed massive engagement, helping policymakers understand citizen expectations around privacy and responsible data use. Creative participation has also played a role, notably through the Logo Design Contest for the India AI Summit, where the crowdsourced winning logo is now officially used across all summit platforms and promotions.
MyGov works closely with MeitY, NITI Aayog, and other ministries to disseminate India-specific AI frameworks and initiatives. Acting as a citizen-facing layer, MyGov simplifies complex policy frameworks and amplifies official communication to ensure wide outreach and meaningful feedback.
One of MyGov’s greatest strengths is its reach across India’s linguistic and regional diversity using content localisation. Campaigns are disseminated in multilingual languages, enabling cyber safety awareness and responsible technology use to reach regional and first-time digital users, helping bridge the digital divide and counter misinformation.
The importance of AI-enabled citizen engagement was clearly demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The MyGov Ai-ChatBot emerged as a trusted digital companion, providing real-time updates on COVID-19 cases, booking vaccination slots, advisories, helplines, shelters service, alerts and Vaccination Certificate downloads, reinforcing trust and accessibility during a national crisis.
For MyGov, inclusivity remains non-negotiable. All MyGov content adheres strictly to Government of India’s accessibility guidelines, ensuring usability for persons with disabilities, language minorities, and other segments of the society.
Looking ahead, MyGov is preparing for the next phase of citizen engagement through an upgraded MyGov Saathi ChatBot and a WhatsApp-based AI helpdesk offering multilingual, self-learning interactions. Planned voice-enabled interfaces with speech-to-text support in multilingual languages will further deepen inclusion.
As India builds its national AI ecosystem, MyGov’s priorities remain clear: enhancing participatory policymaking, and responsibly using AI to improve citizen experience.
Over the next two years to ensure citizen centricity in India’s AI journey, MyGov is planning:
1. Scaling AI awareness and trust-building through nationwide campaigns, quizzes and multilingual explainers
2. Strengthening innovation pipelines by linking MyGov challenges and innovation contests with government adoption and missions
3. Deepening citizen participation in AI governance through consultations, ethical discussions and feedback mechanisms
These priorities will help ensure that India’s AI journey remains inclusive, responsible and firmly citizen-centric.
MyGov remains committed to ensuring innovation and inclusion move forward together.
(The author is CEO of MyGov.in, a platform aimed at increasing citizen’s direct participation and consultation in governance)
