New Delhi: India hosting the Global AI Summit bears a significant strategic message of positioning itself as the least controversial, most adaptable and investible destination for AI tech expansion - a stark contrast to the US-China sparring that forces tech majors to factor in political implications.India has a good case to make. There are broadly four pillars to a credible AI ecosystem - a robust chip-making industry; energy capacity to support the ecosystem; chip research and design capacity; and deployment plus diffusion in a growing market.The last two are advantageous for India while it needs to catch up on the other two. This is a good score compared to many other countries. But the most important part which buttresses India's case is that it comes with no controversial political overhang, neither international nor domestic, in deeply divided times. In this context, the successful conclusion of the two trade deals with the US and the European Union were vital in admonishing any doubt created by the Trump administration's Russia-linked tariffs. A strong US presence at the summit, led by Trump's chief science advisor Michal Kratsios, conveys both trust and intent that both sides want to be on the same page on this conversation.Internally, India's experience is quite different. In fact, this effort seeks to leverage domestic political capital for strategic gain at a time democracies are struggling with fractious polity.How? A story of the last decade that often gets lost in the din is the relative ease with which new tech has found acceptability in larger India as a reliable medium for delivery of social goods, thus creating a ready big market with opportunity. In fact, regardless of debates elsewhere, the credibility of new technology in India as a tool for social empowerment, hence economic opportunity, is quite high.Three examples stand out over the past decade1) Acceptability of Aadhaar and the successful evolution of the JAM trinity, enabling direct transfer of welfare money into beneficiary accounts2) UPI payment revolution, accounting for a majority chunk of the world's digital payment transactions3) Acceptability of Covid vaccines, allowing for one of the fastest vaccination exercises of almost the entire eligible population.The common strand in all three was that citizen-centric benefits from new tech far outweighed the doubts that often clouded debates elsewhere, like with vaccines. There were concerns here too, be it around data privacy with Aadhaar, possibility of financial fraud through UPI and long-term health complications with new vaccines. But they were dealt with, because generally popular support was with sustenance of new technology as it was dramatically changing the way daily lives were being lived. India's AI pitch is another extension on this citizen-centric model, positioning new technology as a force for good. India's own showcasing of AI use is around service delivery for public benefit. This unanimity around how AI can improve governance is, perhaps, the biggest plus for an industry looking for both credibility and acceptability - away from controversy and politics.From an Indian standpoint, this positioning gives it the best opportunity to help develop a positive AI ecosystem, especially with chip making and energy options besides jobs. But as has been the case with India in the past, the promise often fails to convert. Which is why it's vital not to forget the strategic purpose behind this summit, its importance in the current geopolitical context and the imperativeness of making it work.
- News Source Indiatimes (Click to view full news): CLICK HERE
0 Comments:
Leave a Reply