By Ashwani Mishra, Editor-Technology, 63SATS Cybertech
In the ever-evolving battlefield of cyberspace, Karnataka is arming itself with a powerful new ally — not a new task force, but a digital one.
As reported by Deccan Herald, the state’s Home Department is rolling out an AI-powered system that doesn’t just assist but autonomously acts, monitors, and mitigates cyber threats and misinformation. This isn’t conventional AI.
This is Agentic AI — a paradigm shift in artificial intelligence now at the core of Karnataka’s newly formed Cyber Command Unit (CCU).
Agentic AI, short for agent-based artificial intelligence, marks a revolutionary departure from traditional machine learning systems. While standard AI tools need human prompts to detect and flag threats, Agentic AI functions like an autonomous digital officer. It perceives, analyzes, decides, and acts — all in real-time.
Crucially, it learns from every interaction, becoming smarter with each engagement. Imagine a cybersecurity team where one member never sleeps, never hesitates, and continuously improves with every case. That’s the promise of Agentic AI.
This cutting-edge system is now being woven into Karnataka’s broader digital defense strategy. With fake news, deepfakes, and cyber scams rising at an alarming rate — especially across social media — the state government has prioritized a proactive, real-time response mechanism. The initiative builds upon the earlier Information Disorder Tackling Unit (IDTU) under the Department of Electronics, IT, and Biotechnology, which has now been integrated into the CCU for greater synergy.
The AI doesn’t just watch — it acts.
When harmful content surfaces, the system autonomously verifies it against a threat database, gauges the risk, traces the source, and can even escalate or initiate mitigation steps before a human officer steps in. Think of it not as a tool, but as a digital co-worker — tirelessly working alongside officers to patrol the boundless streets of the internet.
Karnataka’s new deployment could set the stage for how other Indian states — and indeed, governments worldwide — integrate agentic AI into public safety and digital governance. Traditional AI systems, while useful in analytics and predictive modeling, fall short when speed, contextual analysis, and autonomous decision-making are needed. In contrast, agentic AI excels precisely in these areas.
“Agentic AI is not about replacing human officers but augmenting them. It offers situational awareness and fast response times that are impossible for human teams alone to match,” says Neehar Pathare, MD, CEO andCIO, 63SATS Cybertech.
Before the Code Executes: Are We Ethically Ready?
But this leap into autonomous AI also raises critical questions. What are the ethical limits of AI-led policing? How transparent are its decision-making processes? The state government has assured that human oversight will remain integral, with protocols in place to ensure transparency, data privacy, and audit trails for every AI-initiated action.
Nevertheless, the urgency to act is real. Karnataka, like much of India, has faced a surge in coordinated misinformation campaigns — from doctored videos spreading political propaganda to WhatsApp hoaxes inciting unrest. Law enforcement often finds itself in a game of catch-up. With agentic AI, the aim is to shift from reaction to prevention.
As the world watches Karnataka’s rollout, one thing is clear: the age of passive AI is over. The future belongs to intelligent agents that don’t wait to be told what to do — they do it.
For Karnataka Police, this isn’t just a tech upgrade. It’s a reimagination of digital policing in the 21st century.
