INDIA IS STEPPING THEIR WAY IN GLOBAL AI

India has been a paradox, when it comes to technology. The country developed advanced digital computers early and has highly advanced and cost-effective space programmers. Yet until just a few decades ago, the nation lagged in its digital transformation and accessibility.Today, India’s government is pushing to put digital technologies at the core of its inclusive development, partly through widespread internet access and one of the world’s most affordable data pricing schemes.

India also boasts one of the most thriving start-up ecosystems in the world, with dozens of unicorns deploying AI-powered tools in their core services. They have widened the scope of India’s AI strategy to build tools for India and the world, especially the global south. “We want India to become the global hub of AI… Our bright minds are already working towards it”, stated Indian Prime Minister Namenda Modi in 2020, highlighting India’s goal to become a global leader in responsible AI for social empowerment and inclusion.

India possesses a few unique strengths related to AI technologies. Driven AI entrepreneurs power their skilled AI workforce and thriving start-up ecosystem. Globally, India is on top for skill penetration and has an AI-ready market valued at $6.4 billion. In 2020, Indian companies were ranked second in AI adoption in the Asia Pacific.

Niramai is an AI start-up that provides affordable and fast breast cancer screening at clinics in rural India, where there is a significant shortage of radiologists and labs. It has 26 international patents on thermal imaging-based cancer diagnosis, many of which are now available on the global market, including in the UK, the US and Japan.

With the national programme on AI in place, a national data governance framework policy, and one of the world’s largest publicly accessible data sets programmers in the works, India is committed to the efficient use of AI to catalyze innovation ecosystems around AI, trusted applications for the citizens and the world at large. India sees AI as a tool for social empowerment and inclusion and focuses on developing AI tools for the global south. India’s AI policy has firm roots in responsible AI principles and strives to ensure that international frameworks are designed to provide the same.

India marked a new milestone in its journey as it took the G20 chair and became the the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence’s (GPAI) chair in waiting. At this point, we must understand how the world’s largest democracy sees frontier technologies such as AI playing a role in its journey towards becoming a global economic superpower.