India on cusp of becoming largest user of AI globally: Nandan Nilekani
The digital public infrastructure like Aadhaar and UPI along with the socio-economic landscape of the country puts India as potentially the largest user of AI by end of this decade
India remains in a very favourable position to become the most extensive user of artificial intelligence (AI) in the world by the end of this decade, said the founding chairman of Aadhaar Nandan Nilekani.
The positive demography of India with a higher percentage of younger population coupled with robust digital public infrastructure puts the country in a pole position to reap the benefits of AI, according to Nilekani in a paper co-published along with Tanuj Bhojwani in the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“Before the end of this decade, more Indians will use AI every day than in any other country in the world. What’s more, people in advanced economies will be surprised by the ways the country will use AI,” Nilekani said.
India also remains the fertile ground for AI to solve the various complex challenges in areas of health care, education, agriculture and sustainability, given the diverse population and complex socio-economic concerns, the paper noted.
“What India needs is a strategic plan to chase down the most important opportunities for AI to help. The trick is not to look too hard at the technology but to look at the problems people face that existing technology has been unable to solve,” Nilekani said.
The two big pillars that will enable greater application of AI in India are Aadhaar and UPI.
As Nilekani noted unlike the Western countries which have legacy systems to overhaul, AI-first systems can be built from the ground up in India.
“The quick adoption of digital public infrastructure is the bedrock for these technologies. Such infrastructure generates enormous amounts of data, and thanks to India’s Account Aggregator framework, the data remains under the citizens' control, further encouraging public trust and utilization. With this solid footing, India is well positioned to lead the charge in AI adoption,” he said.
He also highlighted the continuous contribution made by the Indian startup ecosystem which not only innovates but also widely adopts the digital public infrastructure.
“The effect is cyclical: start-ups feed the growing tech culture and, in turn, leverage the data to build more precise and beneficial AI tools. India’s dynamic start-up ecosystem, moreover, is actively working on AI solutions to address various challenges,” Nilekani remarked.
The paper noted that AI has the potential to deeply penetrate Indian society effecting broad and meaningful change.
Edited by Affirunisa Kankudti