New Delhi: India is eyeing more collaboration and taking a leadership position on behalf of the Global South, S. Krishnan, secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said as he outlined the country’s ambitious vision for the artificial intelligence space at the Carnegie India Global Technology Summit in New Delhi Saturday.
Krishnan described the rise of AI as akin to a “Y2K moment” for the Indian IT industry—a pivotal opportunity to see AI applications deployed at scale across government and enterprise sectors. He emphasised that India is not merely looking to participate in the global AI race, but to shape its trajectory through innovation, inclusivity and international cooperation.
“India is looking to lead by example, especially in building collaborations among democratic nations. Our focus is on compute, foundational models, skills development, and creating an AI ecosystem that is democratic and inclusive,” he said.
He asserted that India’s approach to regulation will avoid stifling innovation. “Regulation should not be about guardrails that throttle opportunity,” he noted. “It should be about enabling meaningful, safe and wide-scale deployment of AI.”
Rejecting an investment-first approach, Krishnan highlighted the importance of focusing on long-term impact over headline-grabbing investment figures. “If you chase investment numbers, you won’t get enough conversions. This summit is about real commitments and measurable impact.”
Drawing parallels with India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, Krishnan hinted at a potential “Mangalyaan moment” for AI in India—an achievement that could signal a major leap forward.
He referred to India’s capabilities in building Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and suggested that if AI is similarly developed as a national resource, it could unlock vast potential across sectors.
Krishnan said that India’s “early success stories” in applying AI—such as Krishi AI in agriculture and enhanced operational efficiency in defence—are being seen as proof of concept for how the technology can be meaningfully deployed in critical areas.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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