The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us, and is being powered principally by artificial intelligence (AI) combined with accompanying technologies such as advanced robotics, Internet of Things, machine-to-machine communication, and gene editing. As these converge into a single ecosystem, the innovations are game-changing—like the emergence of intelligent automation supported by agentic AI, mountains of data analytics, AI medical diagnosis at stunning speeds, individualised learning, and so on.

India has its own AI ambitions. Recently, BVR Subrahmanyam, the CEO of Niti Aayog, said that this “is a foundational transformation that will redefine how nations create wealth, deliver justice, and secure peace”, and that “The nations that harness AI responsibly will lead the next century”. He aptly called it “the Cognitive Revolution, where intelligence itself is being industrialised”. Some have termed this as the Imagination Age.

India’s vision for AI is wide, though admittedly, in some ways, we are catching up with the US and China who are competing for global AI supremacy. But India’s AI plans do not visualise this. They are more focused on AI sovereignty and shared prosperity with an emphasis on human and ethical values. According to a study by MDI Gurugram for the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the AI market is expanding at a bewildering pace. In India alone, it has grown from a mere $3.20 billion in 2020 to $6.05 billion........

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