Artificial Intelligence in India: Growth, Innovation and Strategic Initiatives

India is at the forefront of the global artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, boasting a thriving ecosystem of talent, research, and investment. With significant advancements in AI technology and strategic initiatives like the National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence (NSAI) and the INDIAai portal, India is poised for substantial growth and innovation in various sectors.

India’s AI Landscape: Opportunities, Challenges, and Strategic Frameworks

Current Status:

• The field of artificial intelligence is undergoing rapid advancement, and India stands as a prominent player in AI research and development. 
  • India has great potential for a big AI revolution. 
• It’s the third-largest hub for AI talent globally, and investments in India’s AI capabilities are growing fast at a rate of 30.8%, expected to hit $881 million in 2023.
  • India ranks 10th globally with 386 PhD researchers out of 22,000 worldwide.
  • It holds the 13th position globally with 44 prominent presenters in leading AI conferences.
  • AI research mainly happens in institutes like IITs, IIITs, and IISc.
• The growth of India’s semiconductor industry will be crucial for its AI market, projected to reach $7.8 billion by 2025. 
  • By then, about 60% of AI’s impact on India’s economy will come from four main sectors: Industrials & Automotive, Healthcare, Retail, and Consumer Packaged Goods.

Proposed Framework for AI Research Promotion:

Centres of Research Excellence in AI (COREs): Focus on fundamental AI research, merging responsibilities of ICON and CROSS.

• • International Centre for Transformational AI (ICTAI): Promote application-based research, merging responsibilities of CASTLE and CETIT.

• AIRAWAT (AI Research Platform): A cloud platform for Big Data Analytics and AI Computing.

• • Equipped with top-notch machine learning capabilities for various applications in Agriculture & Healthcare.
• National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence (NSAI): The National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence (NSAI) is a 2018 document released by NITI Aayog. 
  • The NSAI focuses on using AI to achieve inclusive growth and solve social challenges in areas like education, health, and agriculture. 
  • The NSAI is also known as “AI For All“.
• INDIAai: It is the National Artificial Intelligence Portal of India, launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in May 2020. 
  • It is a single central knowledge hub on artificial intelligence and allied fields such as, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Deep Learning etc., for aspiring entrepreneurs, students, professionals, academics, and everyone else.

• INDIAai aims to:

• • • Bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities.
    • Build a strong AI ecosystem in India by providing a platform for collaboration and innovation.
    • Promote the responsible use of AI for the benefit of society.
  • Global Partnership on AI (GPAI): India is also a founding member of the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), a multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice on AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities on AI-related priorities. 
    • The GPAI has four working groups: data governance, future of work, innovation and commercialization, and responsible AI. 
    • India is co-leading the data governance working group along with the UK and Canada.

• Bharat GPT: India’s first indigenous Generative AI platform developed by CoRover.ai.

• • Objective: Aims to provide conversational AI solutions in 12+ Indian languages across various channels like text, voice, and video.
  • Focus: on being human-centric, meaning it prioritizes natural and engaging interactions with users.
  • Targets: a wide range of potential applications, including customer service, education, healthcare, and entertainment.

Opportunities and Challenges

• Factors influencing AI adoption include technical feasibility, data availability, regulations, privacy, and ethics.
• Collaboration between academia and industry can accelerate AI research and application nationwide, driving growth through automation and augmentation of human capabilities.

Conclusion

• As India harnesses the power of AI through collaborative efforts between academia and industry, it paves the way for inclusive growth and addresses societal challenges. 
• With initiatives like Bharat GPT and the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), India is not only embracing AI but also championing responsible and ethical AI development, ensuring a brighter future powered by innovation and collaboration.