{"id":83908,"date":"2026-02-10T13:57:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/891079983"},"modified":"2026-02-10T13:57:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:57:01","slug":"indiaai-mission-chief-decodes-tech-strategy-for-a-billion-users","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/indiaai-mission-chief-decodes-tech-strategy-for-a-billion-users\/","title":{"rendered":"IndiaAI Mission Chief Decodes Tech Strategy For A Billion Users"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SUMMARY<\/span> <\/p>\n

India\u2019s AI market is projected to reach $126 Bn by 2030, with AI expected to contribute up to $1.7 Tn to GDP by 2035<\/p>\n

Ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Inc42 spoke with Abhishek Singh, additional secretary at MeitY and CEO of the IndiaAI Mission<\/p>\n

Singh outlined India\u2019s focus on democratising AI through homegrown models, population-scale deployments, and real-world use cases in healthcare and governance<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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From being the world\u2019s back office to becoming a front-runner in the global economy, India\u2019s technology story has been shaped by scale. Now, as one of the fastest adopters of artificial intelligence, the country has earned its place at the global tech table.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the journey doesn\u2019t end there. In fact, it is just the beginning. According to the <\/span>Bharat AI Startups Report 2026<\/span><\/a>, published by Inc42 in collaboration with Google, India\u2019s competitive edge in AI is unlikely to come from frontier research alone, but from execution. Building, integrating and scaling AI in real-world use cases is where Indian innovation is expected to stand out. <\/span><\/p>\n

The early signals are already visible. Since 2020, Indian AI <\/span>startups have raised over $18 Bn<\/span><\/a>, with nearly 86% of this capital flowing into application-layer companies. This backdrop sets the tone for the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled in New Delhi from February 16 to 20.<\/span><\/p>\n

The summit comes at a moment when India has positioned itself differently from popular global conversations. Moving beyond safety and regulation, the focus is on how AI can operate at scale across languages, income levels, and access levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the core of this effort is the IndiaAI Mission. In an exclusive, wide-ranging conversation with Inc42, Abhishek Singh, additional secretary at MeitY and CEO of the IndiaAI Mission, described the vision of India\u2019s AI policy. Singh explained how democratisation sits at the heart of India\u2019s AI strategy, how real-world use cases in healthcare and governance are moving beyond pilots, and why India sees voice-led AI as its biggest global opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are the edited excerpts from the interview: <\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: India has demonstrated population-scale digital innovation through platforms like Aadhaar and UPI. With IndiaAI, what kind of AI capability are we aiming to build?<\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> The vision is quite simple. In the last decade, with UPI and Aadhaar, we built the digital highway. Now, with IndiaAI, we are building the cars that run on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

We want India to move from being an AI consumer to an AI creator. To do that, we are building core capabilities in three specific areas. First is compute. You can\u2019t build AI without the hardware, so we are procuring over 10,000 GPUs to give our startups the raw power they need. Second is data. We are building AI Kosh \u2013 a massive repository of Indian datasets so that models can understand our context. And third is foundation models. We want models that speak our languages and understand our diversity. <\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: When you engage with global governments and institutions, what aspects of India\u2019s AI approach tend to stand out or spark interest? <\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> It is our focus on democratisation. When I talk to global leaders, they are focussed on the risks or the commercial profits of AI. But they look at India and see something different: they see AI being used for social impact at scale.<\/span><\/p>\n

They want to know how we plan to use AI to help a farmer in a remote village or a teacher in a government school. The world is interested in how India plans to make AI accessible to the common citizen, not just the elite. That \u2018AI for All\u2019 philosophy is what stands out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: When the IndiaAI Mission was conceptualised, what assumptions shaped it and how has your thinking evolved as AI capabilities and global dynamics accelerated?<\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b>  When we conceptualised IndiaAI, the core assumption was that we needed an AI-for-India approach that is affordable, inclusive, multilingual, and accessible at the population scale. The government\u2019s role was to catalyse the ecosystem by de-risking compute, data, and talent, rather than building everything itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

What has changed is the speed and scale of global AI advances. That has pushed us to think more seriously about compute, trusted datasets, and safety by design. Today, the Mission is about balancing rapid innovation with responsible deployment so India can move fast while remaining safe and inclusive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42:<\/b> IndiaAI has chosen to support multiple models and approaches rather than backing a single early champion. How does this portfolio approach strengthen long-term innovation?<\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> India is too complex for a one-size-fits-all model. A model that works in English won\u2019t work for farmers in a rural dialect.<\/span><\/p>\n

By taking a portfolio approach, we are placing multiple bets. We are supporting Large Language Models (LLMs) for complex tasks, but also Small Language Models (SLMs) that can run cheaply on a mobile phone. We are funding different consortiums to solve different problems, some for voice, some for text, some for health. This ensures that we don\u2019t rely on just one technology or one company. It makes the ecosystem resilient.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: IndiaAI has emphasised driving real-world adoption. Could you share specific examples of AI deployments in India that have moved beyond pilots and are delivering measurable impact? <\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> Look at <\/span>Bhashini<\/b>. It is already breaking the language barrier. A citizen can now speak to a government bot in their mother tongue and get a response. That is live, not a pilot.<\/span><\/p>\n

In healthcare, under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, we are seeing AI tools that help read X-rays and scan for diseases like tuberculosis in remote areas where we don\u2019t have enough radiologists. These tools triage patients so doctors can focus on critical cases. <\/span><\/p>\n

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RECOMMENDED FOR yOU<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The biggest learning here is that the technology works, but it must be trusted. If the user doesn\u2019t trust AI, adoption stops. That is why we focus so much on safety.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: India is naturally a multilingual, voice-first market. What role do you see India playing in shaping the next generation of inclusive, language-diverse AI systems globally?<\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> We will lead the world in voice AI. For Indians, their voice will be the interface.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most global AI is built on English text. We are building AI on Indian voice data. If we can solve Voice as a Service, where a person can access the internet simply by speaking in Tamil or Bhojpuri, we create a template for the entire Global South. We are essentially building the interface for the next billion users who will come online not by typing, but by talking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: India has consistently emphasised responsible and inclusive technology adoption. How is IndiaAI approaching responsible AI in a way that builds public trust while enabling innovation? <\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> India has consistently emphasised responsible and inclusive technology adoption. Our goal is to ensure that AI is not just a technological feat, but a tool for mass-scale social transformation. We don\u2019t see regulation as a roadblock; we see it as a guardrail. You can drive faster if you know there are guardrails in place to keep the vehicle on the right track. Our approach is built on three strategic pillars:<\/span><\/p>\n

Outcome-Oriented Governance: Our strategy is guided by the AI Governance Guidelines released in November. These guidelines provide the clarity needed for builders to innovate with confidence, ensuring that the technology we deploy is safe, reliable, and designed to solve real-world challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Innovation over Restraint: While we welcome experimentation and rapid development, we ensure it never comes at the cost of user safety. By prioritising safety from the ground up, we create an environment where high-impact AI can scale without disruption.<\/span><\/p>\n

Global Lighthouse for AI Impact: We are positioning India as the world\u2019s primary laboratory for AI for Impact. Whether it is in healthcare or agriculture or education, India is where AI will be tested and proven at a scale of 1.4 Bn people. Our focus is on transitioning AI from technical prototypes to meaningful solutions that improve lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

By focussing on these practical outcomes, India is setting a global benchmark for how a nation can be the ultimate AI user for impact, demonstrating that the true value of AI lies in its ability to drive inclusive economic growth and social good.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: How is IndiaAI thinking about building research, engineering, and applied AI talent beyond traditional academic pathways?<\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> We cannot rely only on the IITs. We need millions of AI-ready professionals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through programmes like Future Skills Prime, we are taking AI education to Tier-II and Tier-III cities. We are creating different tiers of talent: some who understand how to build the models, and a much larger group who understand how to use the models in their daily jobs. We are also pushing for students to work on real-world government datasets during their coursework, so they graduate with practical experience, not just theory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: What forms of collaboration among the government, startups, academia and industry do you believe will be most critical in the next phase of India\u2019s AI journey?<\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> The most critical piece is breaking the silos: The government enables access to data and computing; academia has the research; and startups have the agility.<\/span><\/p>\n

We need a system where a researcher can easily access computing power to test a theory, and a startup can easily take that research to the market. The IndiaAI Mission is basically the bridge connecting these three islands.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: We are seeing an interesting funding pattern: investor conviction still looks cautious. What do you think is holding the investors back? <\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> I think it\u2019s a mix of caution and the nature of the technology. AI is \u2018patient capital\u2019. It\u2019s not like a quick ecommerce app. It takes time and heavy R&D to build a good model.<\/span><\/p>\n

But my message to investors is this: Don\u2019t just look for a technical moat, look for the Data Moat. A global model might be smart, but it doesn\u2019t understand Indian agriculture or Indian law like a local startup does. That contextual understanding is the real value, and that is where the smart money should go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: If you zoom out five years, what would success look like for IndiaAI economically, socially and strategically? <\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> Economically, I want to see a thriving ecosystem of Indian AI unicorns that are building original IPs. Socially, success is when a person in a village uses AI to get a loan or better crop prices without even realising they are using tech. It should be invisible and helpful. Strategically, India should be a net exporter of AI solutions to the Global South.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: India is hosting the India AI Impact Summit 2026. What should we realistically expect to come out of those five days? <\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> Expect a change in the narrative. The world has been talking about AI Safety and fear. In Delhi, we will talk about AI Impact. Expect to see real solutions for health, education, and agriculture. It will be a showcase of optimism.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: You are framing the Summit around three sutras: people, planet, progress. How did you land on this structure? <\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> We structured it this way to connect our goals with our actions.<\/span><\/p>\n

The three sutras \u2013 people, planet, progress \u2013 are the destinations. That is why we are doing this. The seven chakras are the engine to get there. These are the practical pillars like compute, datasets, safe AI, and skill.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t have Progress (the sutra) without Compute (the chakra). You can\u2019t help people (the sutra) without skill (the chakra). The simple message is: We have a clear engineering roadmap to achieve a human vision.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inc42: What kind of collaboration are you trying to trigger through this convening? <\/b><\/p>\n

Abhishek Singh:<\/b> I want to trigger co-creation. I want nations to come together \u2013 one provides the energy, one provides the compute, one provides the data \u2013 and we build solutions together. I want to move away from just buying tech to building tech together.<\/span><\/p>\n

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… its place at the global tech<\/span> table. But the journey … consistently emphasised responsible and inclusive technology<\/span> adoption. How is IndiaAI … even realising they are using tech<\/span>. It should be invisible … away from just buying tech<\/span> to building tech<\/span> together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83908\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}