A quiet technological revolution is unfolding in India. Over the past few weeks, millions of Indian mobile users have begun receiving free access to advanced artificial intelligence tools bundled with their data packs. What appears at first glance to be a wave of corporate generosity is in fact a calculated global play for the world’s largest untapped AI user base. India’s unique combination of low data costs, a young digital population, and a competitive telecom market makes it irresistible to global technology firms. For them, India offers what few other markets can: scale, openness, and diversity.

Nearly every new technology of the past two decades – social media, e-commerce, digital payments – has tested its mass adoption potential here. AI, it seems, is the next frontier. The logic is simple. The more people use AI-powered chatbots, search companions, and creative assistants, the more data these systems........

© The Statesman