Context :
India
leading in AI adoption, shaping how it's governed, says FM Sitharaman … BS .. 23 Feb 2025
Extract :
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
on Saturday said India was not just leading in the adoption of artificial
intelligence, but also shaping how AI is governed.
Speaking at the 6th
convocation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Kottayam,
Sitharaman said that India was not just ready for AI, but the demand for
AI-driven solutions was also high in the country.
She said this was evident
from the fact that the country recorded 3 billion AI-related app downloads in
2024, while the US and China had only 1.5 billion and 1.3 billion downloads,
respectively.
The Finance Minister also
said that India being made the co-chair at the recent AI Action Summit in Paris
was a recognition of the country's global position in the sector.
She noted that at the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had
emphasised that AI was not just a matter of national significance but a global
responsibility.
"What he (Modi) said gives us a very
big message , use AI, but use it responsibly. Do not misuse it, do not use it
unethically.
"So, it is very
important for us to have AI that is ethical, inclusive, and trustworthy,"
she said.
Sitharaman also outlined the
steps taken by the central government in the field of AI, starting with the
India AI mission, which was announced with a budget outlay of Rs 10,300 crore
for building computing infrastructure, developing indigenous AI capabilities,
attracting AI talent from around the world, and financing AI startups.
"India is not just experimenting
with AI. We are not just talking about AI or researching it. We are actually
implementing it at scale and across various sectors," Sitharaman said,
adding that this has been recognised by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
During her speech, Sitharaman
also referred to India's achievements in the field of innovation and patenting.
She said that India's ranking
in the Global Innovation Index had improved to 39 out of 133 countries in 2024,
up from 81 in 2015.
Sitharaman also highlighted
that India's patents-to-GDP ratiowhich measures the economic impact of patent
activityhad risen to 381 in 2023 from 144 in 2013, indicating significant
progress in innovation and patenting.
"Besides that, India holds the 7th position
in intangible asset intensity, surpassing the growth rate of many high-income
economies and matching the intangible investment intensity of Germany and
Japan," she said at the event.
She added that all these
achievements indicated that the country was moving in the right direction,
while also needing to further improve its performance.
"We are moving towards
greater innovation and greater self-reliance," she added.
Sitharaman also congratulated
the students who graduated from IIIT Kottayam and, at the same time, urged them
to ensure that incidents like the recent ragging case at a nursing college in
Kerala do not happen at their institute.
"We do not need that. We do not want anyone to even
playfully harass other students. We need to support one another, be better
individuals, and become responsible youngsters so that we can build a bright
future for the country," Sitharaman said as she concluded her speech.
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