Science & Technology

Artificial Intelligence and India’s Global Race

September 24, 2025 3 min read

Why in news?

The Union Cabinet approved a multi‑year IndiaAI Mission in September 2025 with a budget of over ₹10,000 crore. The mission aims to build a national AI compute infrastructure, support startups and develop ethical guidelines. This marks a significant step as countries worldwide invest heavily in artificial intelligence to gain economic and strategic advantage.

India’s digital springboard

Over the past decade, India created a robust digital public infrastructure: more than one billion people use smartphones, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processes billions of transactions monthly, and the Aadhaar identity system covers most residents. These platforms provide vast datasets and a testing ground for AI applications. However, India lags behind the United States and China in research output and funding.

Opportunities for AI in India

Challenges and constraints

What needs to be done

Artificial intelligence offers transformative potential. With the IndiaAI Mission, the country seeks not only to catch up but to build AI solutions tailored to its linguistic diversity and development needs.

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