India takes the lead in the AI age

Ten years ago, a street vendor in Mumbai could not open a bank account. No address, no papers, no access. Today, the same vendor accepts payments on his phone instantly, for free, from anyone in the country. A payment system that processes 20 billion transactions every month, said French President Emmanuel Macron during the recent AI Impact Summit hosted in India.

“Last year, when France and India co-hosted the AI Action Summit in Paris, we set a global guiding principle for a technology that would transform our societies and economies. We say that AI will be an enabler for our humanity to innovate faster, to disrupt healthcare, energy, mobility, agriculture and public services for the good of mankind. Both of us believe in this revolution,” said Macron.

The recently concluded India AI Impact Summit has been considered successful on the business side for India, as the five-day event led to significant investment commitments. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwani Vaishnaw said that over $200 billion in AI and deep-tech investments are likely in India over the next 2 years.

Of this $200 billion, nearly $110 billion is expected to be invested by Reliance Industries and its telecom arm Jio (they will invest in building AI data infrastructure over the next 7 years). Adani Group is likely to invest $100 billion in renewable-powered AI data centres by 2035. Meanwhile, Larsen and Toubro will collaborate with Nvidia to build India’s largest AI factory.

“The AI Impact Summit showcased the prowess of 1.4 billion Indians. India will keep making strides in this world in times to come. The ethical use of AI is important. There are three suggestions. First, a data framework must be established; second, safety rules must be clear and transparent; and third, AI requires human values and guidance,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This was the fourth edition of the AI Summit. It may be recalled that the first AI Summit was held in the UK in 2023, the second in Seoul in 2024 and the third (which was co-chaired by India) in France in 2025. The fifth AI Summit will be held in Geneva in 2027 (Switzerland), while the sixth in 2028 will be held in the UAE.

The inauguration of the Summit was attended by over 20 Heads of Government and 59 ministerial-level representatives, along with government representatives from 118 countries. The Summit also convened over 100 global AI leaders, CEOs and CXOs, and more than 500 leading AI experts from across the world.

Big-tech players such as Google and Microsoft attended the event. Though Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed audiences, Microsoft’s Bill Gates’s address was dropped, allegedly due to revelations about his association with American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Google is establishing a full-stack AI hub as part of our $15 billion infrastructure investment in India. When finished, this hub will house gigawatt-scale compute and a new international subsea cable gateway, bringing jobs and the benefits of cutting-edge AI to people and businesses across India,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google.

As of now, India is recognised as a top-tier global AI powerhouse, ranking third in competitive AI vibrancy after the US and China. India is transitioning from a consumer of technology to an AI creator, driven by a massive skilled talent pool, extensive digital public infrastructure (DPI) and a rapidly growing start-up ecosystem.

Pax Silica

The AI Summit saw India formally join the US-led Pax Silica by signing the Pax Silica Declaration. There are ten signatories to Pax Silica: the others include Australia, Israel, Japan, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the UAE and the UK. This coalition aims to secure upstream minerals – quartz, polysilicon and other critical minerals – on which the semiconductor industry depends.

“This declaration is not merely an agreement on paper, but a roadmap for a shared future. We say no to weaponised dependency, we say no to blackmail, and together we affirm that economic security is national security. We are securing the full stack of the future: from the minerals deep in the earth, to the silicon wafers in our labs and fabs, and the intelligence that will unleash human potential. Pax Silica is our declaration that the future belongs to those who build,” said Jacob Helberg, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment.

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said India’s entry into Pax Silica is both strategic and essential. “Pax Silica is the coalition that will define the 21st-century economic and technological order. It is designed to secure the entire silicon stack, from the mines where we extract critical minerals to the fabs where we manufacture chips, to the data centres where we deploy frontier AI,” said Gor.

The UK is the world’s third-biggest AI power: a global hub for AI innovation and investment, with an AI market valued at £72 billion. It ranks fourth globally for AI unicorns and start-ups and is home to more than 5,800 AI companies. A large British delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy attended the AI Summit.

“The UK is backing its pioneering AI leadership with more than £1.6 billion in investment to ensure the best of British expertise develops the next wave of AI innovations. Together, we are turning potential into progress. From spotting cancers earlier to cutting backlogs in public services, new research in AI will be a game-changer, bringing the promise of tomorrow’s technologies to the UK,” said UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy. Lammy – who visits India often – said he has familial ties with India, as his grandmother hailed from Kolkata.

India and the UK signed an FTA last year, which is likely to come into effect by the middle of this year.

“The potential of combining our AI expertise with our peerless R&D community is a game-changer. This plan will harness AI to accelerate both the pace and possibility of scientific endeavour,” said British AI Minister Kanishka Narayan. Interestingly, 150 UK firms are working in the AI space in India across 250 organisations.

“There is a huge opportunity in the UK-India technology and innovation partnership, which is why it is a central pillar of our shared Vision 2035. I am a tech optimist at heart, but firmly believe that it is only through international cooperation and the power of joint action that we can harness AI to build a more secure, sustainable and prosperous future for all,” said British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron.

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the Summit brought together an incredible group of innovators and leaders from across the world to focus on the impact AI can have. “The level of AI optimism in India is extraordinary: twice that of many Western populations. We need to fix that gap. Trust will be won or lost in the public sector, because this is where people will feel the benefits in their everyday lives. AI will lift the floor for humanity by democratising access to healthcare and education and transforming agriculture in developing countries,’’ said Sunak.

During the AI Summit, there was a discussion about women’s leadership in AI. Globally, nearly 30.5 per cent of women have AI competencies. Lithuania’s average is higher than that. “Research shows that diverse teams develop better products, identify risks earlier and adapt more effectively to technological change. Today, women represent 33.4 per cent of people with AI competencies in Lithuania, which is higher than the global average of 30.5 per cent. We are proud of this result, but there is still clear potential for further progress. Continued investment in education, mentoring and supportive professional environments therefore, remains essential,” said Lithuania’s Minister of Economy and Innovation, Edvinas Griksas.

“Empowering women is not optional – it is strategic. Gender equality in the AI domain strengthens innovation, improves resilience, enriches perspectives in policy-making and builds systems that better serve society as a whole,’’ said Lithuania’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Taurimas Valys. During the course of the AI Summit, this kind of dialogue and deliberation was hailed by many.

“Economies across the globe are realising the profound impact of emerging technologies, which are witnessing accelerated development and adoption. Women are driving many of these efforts, especially at leadership levels,” said Vinayak Godse, CEO of the Data Security Council of India (DSCI).

Finland’s AI expertise

Finland’s Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, was among the heads of government who attended the AI Summit. He spoke about Finland’s AI expertise and the importance of public-private cooperation in the development, deployment and governance of AI.

“AI must be developed with a human-centred vision while promoting the safe development and application of this technology. Finland has much to offer the global AI debate. We are a highly skilled, innovation-friendly and reliable environment in which to develop and apply AI,” said PM Orpo.

Switzerland will host the next AI Summit in 2027 and will have the UAE as partner for the Summit in Geneva. The 2028 Summit will be held in the UAE. “What makes AI technology revolutionary is not just its speed or application potential. What makes it extraordinary is its direct impact on our daily lives: for example, in education, healthcare and the way we work and communicate,’’ said Swiss President Guy Parmelin.

China, which is among the global leaders in AI, also took part in the Summit. The Chinese delegation was led by Vice Minister of Science and Technology Chen Jiachang.

“Chen noted China’s significant progress in AI and reaffirmed our readiness to work with all countries to seize historic opportunities, advance the Global AI Governance Initiative, promote AI international cooperation and foster balanced global AI development,” said China’s Ambassador to India Xu Feihong.

China will host the World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai this year. “We look forward to deepening cooperation on global AI governance and innovation, and building a community with a shared future for mankind,’’ Ambassador Feihong added.

Modi meets deep-tech CEOs

On the sidelines of the Summit, Prime Minister Modi held a roundtable with 16 CEOs of AI and deep-tech start-ups. “The CEO roundtable brought together various stakeholders from the world of AI, technology and innovation. The discussions were insightful and forward-looking, focused on scaling AI responsibly, strengthening global collaboration and unlocking opportunities for growth,” said Modi.

PM Modi discussed the use of AI across sectors including healthcare, agriculture and cybersecurity. He also urged start-ups to create India-focused, scalable solutions, emphasising the need for robust data governance and warning against misinformation. Discussions also included expanding private participation in the space sector and leveraging AI for education in regional languages.

“It was great meeting PM Modi to talk about the incredible energy around AI in India. India is our fastest-growing market for Codex globally, up four times in weekly users in the past 2 weeks alone,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that India was going to have an extraordinary trajectory with AI and that they would want to partner in that journey. “We discussed how Google is helping with its mission to infuse AI at all levels in India to improve health, expand access to information in all languages, support start-ups, agriculture and much more,” said Pichai after meeting PM Modi.

The roundtable included innovative ventures such as Abridge, Adalat AI, BrainSightAI, Credo AI, Eka Care, Glean, Innogle, Invideo, Miko, Origin, Prophaze, Rasen, Rubrik, SatSure, Supernova and Sypha AI.

Though the AI Impact Summit was planned well in advance, there were some notable glitches which drew considerable attention. There was no Wi-Fi available in the media centre, which had over 1,000 media delegates. In addition, false claims made by a private university – Galgotias University – about building a robotic dog (which was in fact imported from China) drew significant media scrutiny. Minister Vaishnaw apologised for the technical glitches at the event, while Galgotias University retracted its original statement.

A major cause of embarrassment during the Summit was a protest staged by a group of eight shirtless workers from the All India Youth Congress. They held T-shirts expressing their dismay over the India-US trade deal. Some of the eight were arrested.

“There are some political parties within the country who cannot digest India’s success. The Congress turned a global event for India into a platform for its dirty and naked politics. Congress leaders reached the venue naked in front of foreign guests,” lamented PM Modi.

Traffic came to a crawl in Delhi during the week-long Summit, prompting Rishi Sunak to joke about it. “There was sadly no cricket on this trip, but I have eaten more mithai than I care to admit and was reminded that Delhi traffic is excellent for catching up on emails,” said Sunak.

“The sustainability challenges inherent in AI systems extend far beyond the technological, encompassing environmental impacts across the full lifecycle, social justice concerns from extraction through deployment, economic implications including market concentration and labour conditions, and governance questions regarding accountability and regulation. Solutions must operate at multiple levels, from technical interventions to regulatory frameworks, international coordination and expanded research examining sustainability implications in diverse contexts,” says Shiva Kanwar in a report titled ‘Ethics and Governance of AI’. Shiva is a fellow at ICRIER (International Council for Research on International Economic Relations).

“Perhaps most fundamentally, the discourse must grapple with questions of necessity, distribution and value, ie determining which AI applications genuinely serve collective welfare, ensuring equitable distribution of benefits and burdens, and critically examining whether anticipated gains justify environmental and human costs. As AI systems become increasingly embedded in critical infrastructures and everyday life, these questions become increasingly urgent, demanding sustained engagement from researchers, policymakers, industry actors, civil society and affected communities,” adds Kanwar.

The next AI Summit will be held in Switzerland in 2027 and in the UAE in 2028.

One year ago, the landscape began to shift. The US announced Stargate; China launched DeepSeek.

“AI has become a major field of strategic competition and big tech has grown even bigger. AI, GPU and chip tensions are now directly translated into geopolitical and macroeconomic terms. Sometimes for the best, sometimes for the worst,’’ said Macron, adding that the future of AI will be built by those who combine innovation and responsibility – technology with humanity – and that India and France will help shape this future together.

“And the journey has just begun. Jai Ho,” said Macron.