1. AI for All Initiative
India is advancing the “AI for All” vision to democratize AI technology for societal and economic development. Recognized globally for its AI capabilities, the country ranks among the top nations in AI skills, innovation, and adoption, as reflected in:
- AI Leadership of India 🌏🤖
- India as the Skills Capital 🏆
- Renowned globally for its technology and AI expertise.
- AI Global Rankings 🌟
- Stanford University ranks India among the top four countries in the Global and National AI Vibrancy Index, alongside the US, China, and the UK.
- Ranking based on 42 key indicators, covering skills, capabilities, and AI policies.
- GitHub Recognition 📈
- India leads globally in developer contributions on GitHub, with a 24% global share of AI-related projects—topping the charts!
- India as the Skills Capital 🏆
2. AI and Employment
The government envisions AI as a tool to augment human capabilities, creating job opportunities in fields like data science and curation. Efforts are underway to upskill the workforce to maintain India’s competitive advantage.
3. Key Government Initiatives
3.1 FutureSkills PRIME
- Collaboration between MeitY and NASSCOM to reskill professionals in emerging technologies, including AI, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, and more.
- Outcomes: 8.65 lakh candidates trained; 3.20 lakh focused on AI and Big Data Analytics.
3.2 IndiaAI Mission
A strategic initiative approved in March 2024 to establish a robust AI ecosystem, based on seven foundational pillars:
- Compute Infrastructure: Building an AI compute ecosystem with over 10,000 GPUs.
- FutureSkills: Enhancing AI education through fellowships, PhD programs, and data labs in Tier 2/3 cities.
- Startup Financing: Supporting AI startups at various stages of growth.
- Innovation Centers: Developing indigenous Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) tailored to India.
- Datasets Platform: Facilitating access to AI-ready datasets.
- Applications Development: Promoting impactful AI solutions in healthcare, agriculture, governance, etc.
- Safe & Trusted AI: Ensuring responsible AI development with projects like fairness assessment tools and privacy-preserving models.
3.3 Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme
- Focuses on increasing AI-related PhDs in Electronics and IT sectors.
- Phase II launched to support 1,150 candidates.
3.4 YUVAi Initiative
- Introduced to enable school students (Classes 8–12) to acquire AI skills in thematic areas like agriculture, healthcare, and smart cities.
- Beneficiaries: Over 9,000 students and 200+ teachers.
4. International Contributions and Cooperation
India is actively contributing to global AI governance and collaboration:
- GPAI Leadership: Elected as Chair for 2024; hosted the 2023 and 2024 Summits.
- G20 New Delhi Declaration: Advocates pro-innovation AI governance.
- UN Involvement: Supports resolutions on AI for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Hiroshima AI Process Friends Group: Developing policy frameworks for safe AI.
- UN Global Digital Compact (GDC): Committed to principles of connectivity, safety, and responsible AI governance.
5. Safety and Ethics in AI
India emphasizes responsible AI adoption with frameworks for safety, security, and privacy. Notable initiatives under the “Safe & Trusted AI” pillar:
- Fairness Assessment: Development of tools like “Nishpaksh” for AI fairness evaluation.
- Privacy Enhancements: Creation of robust, privacy-preserving ML models.
