In Baramati, Maharashtra, a small farmer is rewriting the
rules of agriculture with Artificial Intelligence (AI). We are witnessing
something extraordinary here - reduction in usage of fertiliser, better water
use efficiency and higher yields, all enabled by AI.
This is just a glimpse into India’s AI-powered revolution,
where technology and innovation are no longer limited to labs but are
transforming the lives of ordinary citizens. In many ways, this farmer’s story
is a microcosm of a much larger transformation - our march towards Viksit
Bharat by 2047.
Writing the Digital Destiny
India is shaping its digital future with a strong focus on
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), AI, semiconductor and electronics
manufacturing. For decades, India has been a global leader in software but now
it is making big strides in hardware manufacturing also.
Five semiconductor plants are under construction,
strengthening India’s role in the global electronics sector. Today, electronics
products rank among our top three exports and soon we will reach a major
milestone—the launch of India’s first “Make in India” chip this year.
Building AI: Compute, Data, and Innovation
Semiconductors and electronics form the backbone, while DPI
serves as the driving force propelling India’s tech revolution. India is
democratising AI by making it accessible to all through one of its kind AI
framework.
A key initiative in this regard is India’s Common Compute
facility with 18,000+ Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Available at a
subsidised cost under INR 100/hour, this initiative will ensure that
cutting-edge research is accessible to researchers, startups, academia, and
other stakeholders. This initiative will enable easy access of GPUs for
developing AI-based systems, including the foundational models, and
applications.
India is also developing large-scale non-personal anonymised
datasets to train AI models on diverse and high-quality data. This initiative
will help reduce biases and improve accuracy, making AI systems more reliable
and inclusive. These datasets will power AI-driven solutions across various
sectors such as agriculture, weather forecasting & traffic management.
The government is facilitating the development of India’s
own foundational models, including Large Language Models (LLMs) and
problem-specific AI solutions tailored to Indian needs. To foster AI research,
multiple Centers of Excellence have also been set up.
India’s pioneering work in DPI has significantly shaped the
global digital landscape. Unlike corporate or state-controlled models, India’s
ingenious public-private approach uses public funds to build platforms like
Aadhaar, UPI, and DigiLocker. Private players further innovate and create
user-friendly, application-specific solutions on top of DPI.
This model is now being supercharged with AI, as financial
and governance platforms like UPI, and DigiLocker, integrate intelligent
solutions. The global interest in India’s DPI framework was evident at the G20
Summit, where various countries had expressed desire to replicate the model.
Japan has granted a patent to India’s UPI payment system, a testament to its
scalability.
Mahakumbh, a Sangam of Tradition and Tech
India leveraged its DPI and AI-driven management for
seamless operations of Mahakumbh 2025, the largest human gathering ever.
AI-powered tools monitored the railway passenger movement in real time to
optimise the crowd dispersal across railway stations in Prayagraj.
Bhashini, integrated into the Kumbh Sah’AI’yak Chatbot,
enabled voice-based lost and found facility, real-time translation, and
multilingual assistance for all. Its collaboration with various departments
such as Indian Railways and UP Police streamlined communication for quick issue
resolution.
By leveraging DPI, Mahakumbh 2025 has set a global benchmark
for tech-enabled management, making it more inclusive, efficient, and secure.
Building a Future-Ready Workforce
India’s workforce is at the heart of its digital revolution.
The country is adding one Global Capability Center (GCC) every week,
reinforcing its status as a preferred destination for global R&D and
technological development. However, sustaining this growth will require
continuous investment in education and skill development.
The government is addressing this challenge by revamping
university curricula to include AI, 5G, and semiconductor design, as per the
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. This will ensure that graduates enter the
workforce with job-ready skills, reducing the transition time between education
and employment.
Pragmatic Approach Towards Regulating AI
As India builds a future-ready workforce, its AI regulatory
framework must foster innovation while ensuring responsible deployment. Unlike
the ‘heavy-handed’ regulatory framework, which risks stifling innovation, or
the ‘market-driven governance’, which often concentrates power in the hands of
a few, India is following a pragmatic, techno-legal approach.
Rather than relying solely on legislation to address
AI-related risks, the government is investing in technological safeguards. The
government is financing AI-driven projects at top universities and IITs for
developing tools to tackle deep fakes, privacy concerns, and cybersecurity
threats.
As AI continues to reshape global industries, India’s vision
is clear - leverage technology for inclusive growth while maintaining a
regulatory framework that fosters innovation. But beyond policies and
infrastructure, this transformation is about our people.
Ashwini Vaishnaw
(The author is Union Minister of Electronics and Information
Technology, Railways and Information and Broadcasting,
