To be a global AI player, India must shift from being a consumer to being a creator

As per the author, Mr Dhiraj Nayyar, Chief Economist, Vedanta, for India to be a global AI leader, it must move from being a consumer to being a creator, needing large shift towards innovation and ownership of AI products - in effect startups.

As per the article, world is divided into 3 groups:

• Those pioneering the technology - US, China
• Those consuming the technology but do not own it - like India
• Those who do not even have the infrastructure

India's huge population makes it a large consumer. But its attitude has generally been defensive. For eg, in trade related issues, India generally focuses on managing imports rather than capturing global markets with its own exports. Similarly, as observed in climate change, India asks for technology and money from the West rather than building its own world-leading green-tech industry (like China). It mentions India has a massive data. It should be treated as a National asset and not be given away for free. India should also focus on building Companies that can compete with existing International players. Finally, its policy should be offensive (and not defensive) and must move from a mindset of protecting citizens from AI to empowering builders to create it.

Our view:

The recent AI summit shows the initiatives taken by India to be a global player in the AI Industry. While US and China have moved far ahead, the good thing is that we have realized its importance and taking steps to catch up with them. Having a large consumer base is a positive thing for India, but being a creator has even more advantages. The educated youth is a huge plus point for India to move ahead, but the right initiatives on building startups, financing them and providing all the necessary support along with brining in all the Regulatory changes needed for the proper functioning of the Industry have to be done by the Government pro-actively. 
 
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Link - https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/ai-will-define-the-next-50-years-can-india-move-from-consumer-to-creator/articleshow/128619567.cms