AI as infrastructure: India must develop the right technology

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. The Indiaai mission is a coordinated effort that drives the foundation functions across the ecosystem. (PIB) Summary artificial intelligence can transform our lives, but we need systemic thinking that goes beyond looking at aspects such as monetization. Let’s prioritize inclusion and public well -being. This is the sphere in which India can lead AI development worldwide. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often treated as a discrete branch of information technology, surrounded by fear of centient machines, widespread job losses and existential risks. These reactions are understandable but short -sighted. AI is not just a product or tool. It is an enabling layer, just like electricity, the internet or aviation, that can penetrate and power every aspect of life. Electricity offers a useful parallel. In the 19th century, Edison and Tesla fought bitterly about the future of present, with Edison Backing Direct Current (DC) and Tesla advocating alternating current (AC). Edison went so far as to electrow animals to discredit AC. But common sense and scalability prevailed, and AC became the standard. No one argues today about what kind of current power their device may make. We simply expect it to work. Also read: Will AI quantum mechanics ever understand? Don’t bet on it, Ai takes a similar path. For most people, their introduction to AI went through conversational tools such as chatgpt or voice assistants such as Siri. But that is simply the tip of the iceberg. The actual power of AI lies in systemic transformation. Last year, AI won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry! It was awarded to Demis Hassabis and John Jumper of Google Deepmind for prediction of protein structure, a puzzle that has been trying to solve humanity for more than five decades. This was made possible by an AI called Alphafold2. This is the kind of systemic AI transformation we need, and fortunately a lead is made. Take Niramai, a women-led Indian startup that is a revolution of breast cancer selection with non-invasive, radiation-free Ai-diagnostics. Or Wysa, a boot of mental health that AI uses to deliver affordable cognitive behavioral therapy to more than 6 million users in 60 countries. Or tapestry, incubated at Google X, which makes electric grids more resilient by improving visibility and reducing the complexity. These are not vanity projects. These are missionary innovations designed to solve problems that really matter. But to scale the impact of AI, we need systemic thinking. Also read: Indian states must adopt AI for inclusive growth and management of systemic change. It cannot be resolved by building a more beautiful app or running a smooth marketing campaign. These issues claim long-term thinking, policy alignment, patient capital and public-private partnerships. AI can make transformative changes, and fortunately help is at hand. First, let’s look at the state -sponsored initiatives. The Indiai mission is such a coordinated attempt to drive foundation capabilities in the ecosystem. More than 10,000 graphic processing units (GPUs) are deployed through public-private partnerships, giving startups and researchers access to large-scale computer power. Indigenous AI models such as Bharatgen focus on developing context-specific data sets and models in areas such as agriculture, healthcare and urban planning. Furthermore, there is exemplary work done in the development of Indiaai data sets and skills building programs such as Yuvaai. While the public sector helps with core infrastructure and favorable policies, global investors, family offices and academia are investing in AI startups. Also read: Rahul Matthan: Brace for a wave of AI-activated criminal enterprise incubation centers also supports hundreds of depth technology businesses in the early stage. That said, startups in this space do not just need financing or a path from campus laboratories to capital markets. They need frameworks. How do you design AI for scale? How do you ensure that safety is built in and is not bolted later? How does your value unlock while your costs are in fact grounded? How does it treat linguistic minorities? Who is left out, who is counted and who is privileged? These are not coding problems; These are systems design challenges. Generally, major technology companies and innovation hubs act to help founders on their AI journey. This is where horizontal mentoring of technologists, product leaders and ethics becomes a power multiplier. For me, the reminder of Google is for startups, which I have accompanied more than a decade. The accelerator nurtured 17 cohorts, which helped 237 startups raise more than $ 4.5 billion and create 8,500 jobs. The focus is nowadays sharper than ever, which helps AI first new businesses solve real problems through access to tools, mentoring, cloud infrastructure and, most importantly, guided thinking. Also read: India must forgive its own AI road amid a fundamental range of war gifts for the right kind of AI growth: India does not need an AI ecosystem built only on monetization and hype. It needs one built on resilience, inclusion and public property. This means investing in those who already solve difficult problems, often quiet and resource. This means moving our narrative from fear to responsibility, from tailed innovation to systemic cooperation. We are not just users of AI. We are and must be co-creators. If we get it right, India will not just keep up with the global AI race. This will set the benchmark for what responsible, fair and high-impact AI-led growth should look like. The author is CEO of Agrahyah Technologies and Deputy Professor in digital transformation at IIM Trichy. Catch all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #Kartic Intelligence #ChatGPT #Openai Read Next Story