India’s conversation around artificial intelligence (AI) has been mostly about computing power, data centres, Indian-language models, start-ups, and the ambition to become an AI superpower. All that is changing, as a more uncomfortable conversation about existential risk starts.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently called AI a double-edged sword, warning that advanced systems could be used for cyberattacks, fraud, manipulation of public opinion, and interference in elections. Her remarks came as safety concerns were being raised inside companies developing “frontier” AI systems—OpenAI, Anthropic and others.

Frontier lab leaders have questioned the speed and direction of the race. In a recent essay, Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei wrote: “We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models. Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain.” OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has also spoken of managing the risks of increasingly capable systems.

None of this is news to those tracking AI. Recent cyberattacks involving AI and the resignation of AI safety researchers created a global stir. Anthropic’s Jacob Coxon quit, reportedly two months before he could cash in his company stock, saying he did not want to profit from a direction he considered dangerous. Others elsewhere followed, citing similar safety concerns.

Today, the AI world confronts doomsday fears amid an escalating US-China AI rivalry.

Where does India figure? One key challenge—AI........

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