Generation AI: It’s time for India to play the role of a major disruptor

According to Goldman Sachs, the right use of generative AI could add around $7 trillion to global GDP over the next decade. In a world facing slowing economic growth, we must invest in technologies that support growth and productivity, address complex problems like climate change, and build a more inclusive society. However, it needs to be accompanied by the right railing.

India has an opportunity today to provide much-needed thought leadership on generative AI globally. Our proven track record of building inclusive technology for large-scale social impact, whether it is UPI for financial inclusion or Diksha for education, provides a framework for creating open, interoperable and affordable platforms for services and products which can be scaled up rapidly. Can we take these learnings forward and envision this as a strategic turning point for India to lead the world into an era of augmented intelligence? India planted the seed for this when we formulated our National AI Strategy in 2019 to enable AI for all. Since then, initiatives by government, industry and startups have focused on driving the adoption of AI in an inclusive and responsible manner.

India now needs to prioritize a comprehensive Generative AI strategy on top of its AI foundation to achieve significant productivity gains in all aspects of life, business and society. If leveraged correctly, we can embed a foundational layer of intelligence in every product, service and process, which will significantly increase overall productivity. To achieve this, we recommend a four-pronged approach that brings together diverse stakeholders and is enabled by strong execution.

First, real competitive differentiation will be about talent and skill. While India ranks first in AI skills penetration according to OECD, we need to shift the narrative from AI talent to ‘Generation AI’. Can we harness the full potential of India’s demographic dividend and technology adoption by creating a generation of AI-literate citizens who know how to use it responsibly? To this end, we recommend a one-pronged strategy:

For some: Aiming to become the world leader in data and AI skills by training 1 million world-class AI professionals to meet global demand in areas such as natural language processing, large language models, responsible AI and data fundamentals.

For many: Empowering 18-20 million workforce to use AI tools to increase productivity across various sectors. Provide training in domain fundamentals, AI tool usage, and responsible AI.

for allIndia needs AI literate citizens who constitute a whole generation of AI users equipped with the skills and capabilities to unleash its potential in all aspects of life. Provide education in AI application security, AI awareness, and responsible AI.

Second, for innovation to flourish, we need to build the infrastructure necessary for a globally competitive AI ecosystem. The AI ​​boom hinged on three things: huge amounts of data, mega computing power to process it, and budgets to afford it. India must invest in building its capabilities, including:

foundation model: Invest in the development and promotion of large credible AI models that will address our language diversity and our cultural context.

computing access: Establish a national GPU cloud with at least exaFLOP AI capacity and approximately 25,000 A100 GPUs or more. This can be done by setting up such infrastructure under incentive programs in partnership with government industry players and recovering operation costs from users over a period of 10 years, with discounted pricing for Indian academia and startups. Is.

Special Economic AI Cluster: Create virtual AI clusters for core sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, energy, manufacturing, defense etc. to promote innovation and product development. Each cluster can provide access to the Foundation model and GPU Cloud, as well as patient capital, fast-track patent approval, mentorship, and industry links.

Third, India should adopt AI in a scalable manner across sectors. We must build a responsible AI stack with our knowledge to accelerate adoption in key areas. India should also set up a sand-box for responsible use cases.

Finally, we need a pro-innovation policy formulation that catalyzes responsible and ethical AI use and creation. India must develop a tailored approach that aligns existing laws, identifies gaps and establishes a governance framework to manage risk and foster innovation. This will help protect us from potential losses while furthering our progress and economic growth.

While the world worries about what AI to be able Do, we believe India can and must show what AI can do Needed Act as a force for good. With our young talent, know-how and strong commitment to leverage technology as an equal, India must lead the global shift from artificial intelligence to human-centric augmented intelligence designed to better the world Is.

Debjani Ghosh is the President of NASSCOM.

UPDATE: June 26, 2023, 12:48 AM IST