At the Global India AI Summit 2024, Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa for the Government of India, delivered an inspiring keynote on “Embracing the AI Revolution: India’s Path to Global Leadership.” In his address, Kant emphasized the transformative nature of the current AI era, with its relentless advancement and capabilities across the board, along with its increasing adoption by people and most importantly its potential to redefine the very fabric of industries and society. “We are in a unique moment,” he stated, highlighting the relentless advancements, increasing adoption, and potential of AI to redefine industries and society as a whole. This ongoing revolution is not just a technological shift but a pivotal turning point that offers India a historic opportunity to lead on the global stage. As AI continues to evolve, India’s strategic embrace of this technology could drive innovation, economic growth, and societal progress, positioning the nation at the forefront of the AI-driven future.
India is at the cusp of an AI revolution that promises to transform industries and society much like the steam engine and electricity did in the past. The Indian government is spearheading this transformation with a five-year budget of ₹10,372 crore for the India AI mission, aimed at fueling AI innovation through public-private partnerships. Within this funding, approximately
India stands second globally in GitHub AI projects, showing our active engagement in AI development. From 2015 to 2023, we have seen a 263% increase in AI skill penetration, with a notable 16.8% rise in AI talent hiring in 2023 alone. India ranks 7th globally in private AI investments, with nearly ₹10 billion invested in the past decade. According to NASSCOM, 70% of Indian startups are prioritising AI to drive their growth.
The AI market in India is projected to reach ₹10 billion by 2025, growing at over 40% annually. The IBM Global AI Adoption Index 2023 reveals that 74% of Indian enterprises embracing AI have accelerated their investments in the past two years. He added, “Our mission is not just to participate but to lead this global AI revolution”.
Strategic AI integration across sectors like healthcare, logistics, agriculture, and FMCG can revolutionize industries. Customized AI solutions tailored to each sector’s needs will drive efficiency and innovation. AI-driven data analytics will enhance decision-making, providing predictive insights and operational efficiency.
Reflecting on past technological revolutions, core AI research and development is crucial for India to offer end-to-end AI capabilities. Despite generating 20% of the world’s data, we host only 2% of the world’s servers. To address this, the government plans to procure 10,000 GPUs, boosting our computational power.
AI advancements demand that we build core capabilities to avoid disruption. The challenge is not whether AI can handle complex tasks, but how we adapt and lead. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to establish frameworks for responsible and ethical AI.
In this global journey, Indian companies must steer towards excellence by mastering strategic integration, AI-led data analytics, core R&D, ethics, and governance. Our startups can become global champions, pioneering a path that others will follow.
Editorial Team
