India is on the cusp of an AI revolution akin to its UPI success, with experts advocating for a digital public infrastructure (DPI) AI stack to democratize access, as discussed at The Economic Times Digital Transformation Dialogues in New Delhi. Moderated by Dia Rekhi, the panel called for regulations fostering trust without curbing innovation, while addressing job displacement through education and entrepreneurship.
Rajendra Kumar, MHA secretary, proposed a DPI-based AI stack to enable startups and government bodies to deploy applications swiftly without building their own compute systems. “This could drive AI adoption at scale,” he said, highlighting faster use-case development.
Sunil Gupta, Yotta Infrastructure CEO, echoed, “India’s ready for an AI UPI moment.” With affordable GPU infrastructure, India is set for an “inferencing wave,” where AI models apply trained data to solve tasks, especially in healthcare, agriculture, and education.
Agentic AI Surge
Panelists spotlighted agentic AI—autonomous decision-making systems—as a game-changer. Sanket Atal, Salesforce India MD, noted, “Agentic AI integrates everything, with over a trillion weekly transactions globally.” Salesforce’s Data Cloud unifies data, enabling scalable AI agents, though startups like Corover AI, led by Ankush Sabharwal, caution against overhyped adoption due to high costs and limited immediate value for users.
Build or Enhance?
Sachin Bhatia, Exotel cofounder, urged India to focus on foundational AI companies, akin to Nvidia, controlling infrastructure or applications. “The middle layer is nearly free now,” he said, emphasizing strategic innovation.
Regulation Debate
A “light-touch” regulatory approach was favored. Nasscom’s Ashish Aggarwal stressed clear policies to boost investment, while Exotel’s Bhatia advocated transparency, ensuring AI agents are identifiable and auditable. Salesforce’s Atal highlighted trust via guardrails to curb biases in AI models, preserving user data privacy.
Job Impacts
AI’s rise threatens jobs, with Exotel’s Bhatia noting inevitable losses but calling for government support to ease transitions. Nasscom’s Aggarwal sees short-term opportunities due to global demand for India’s services, with long-term solutions in education reform and entrepreneurial skills.
Optimism and Caution
Salesforce’s Atal emphasized AI’s economic potential, accessible without deep expertise. Dilip Jha, SLMG Beverages CIO, shared how agentic AI optimizes logistics and inventory, but stressed human oversight and unbiased datasets. MHA’s Kumar noted AI’s role in border security, advocating privacy safeguards with exceptions for national interests.
With India’s AI market eyeing $17B by 2027, a robust DPI, balanced regulations, and trust will unlock its potential for all.