Why in news?
NITI Aayog, India’s policy think‑tank, released a report titled “AI for Viksit Bharat – The Opportunity for Accelerated Economic Growth” outlining how artificial intelligence can drive India’s development agenda over the next decade. The roadmap envisions transforming India into a technologically advanced “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India) by 2047.
Vision and objectives
- Unlock an additional US$500–600 billion in economic value (some estimates even suggest a US$1.7 trillion boost) by 2035 through widespread adoption of AI.
- Use AI to address critical challenges in agriculture, healthcare, education, urban mobility, climate change and public service delivery.
- Position India as a global hub for AI innovation and a trusted exporter of ethical, inclusive AI solutions.
Pillars of the roadmap
- Digital and data infrastructure: Establish a national “AI cloud” and public data lakes to provide computing power and high‑quality datasets while respecting privacy. Integrate public and private data sources to create interoperable, anonymised datasets.
- Skilling and capacity building: Upskill millions of students and workers through AI curricula in schools and universities, vocational training and reskilling programmes. Establish centres of excellence and incubators across states.
- Sectoral strategies: Encourage AI‑enabled precision agriculture, predictive healthcare, personalised education, intelligent transportation systems, smart manufacturing and digital public infrastructure.
- Research and innovation: Provide funding, tax incentives and regulatory sandboxes to stimulate start‑ups and research institutions. Promote development of Indian language large‑language models and open‑source AI tools.
- Ethical and regulatory framework: Draft responsible AI guidelines to address bias, privacy, data protection and accountability. Build public trust through transparent algorithms and human oversight.
- Governance and coordination: Set up a high‑level steering committee and facilitate collaboration between government, industry and academia.
Challenges
- Digital divide: Inadequate access to high‑speed internet and devices could exclude rural populations.
- Data quality and privacy: Ensuring availability of reliable data while protecting citizens’ personal information.
- Skilled workforce: Shortage of AI researchers and data scientists in India compared with global leaders.
- Regulatory clarity: Need to balance innovation with safeguards against misuse and job displacement.
Way forward
The roadmap calls for sustained investment in computing infrastructure, strong public‑private partnerships and inclusive policies. Successful implementation can help India leapfrog in technological capabilities and achieve its vision of becoming an equitable, prosperous nation.