In a new report titled “AI Opportunity Agenda for India,” Google has highlighted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to drive significant economic growth and foster inclusive progress within India. According to the report, with its world-leading AI skills and start-up ecosystem, technologically optimistic population and strong public and private sector investment in digital transformation, India can leverage its unique strengths to harness the AI opportunity.

The report highlights India’s advantages in the AI space. India’s outstanding tech talent, growing economy, and vibrant start-up ecosystem mean that the country is well placed to fulfil its potential for AI global leadership. By maximising AI's potential, India can drive productivity growth, raise living standards, and tackle some of the country’s most pressing social problems.

The report asks all stakeholders to come together to build a comprehensive AI opportunity agenda to help deliver the IndiaAI Mission and harness the power of AI for the benefit of India’s citizens.

The AI transformation

According to the report, with the right policy framework in place, AI can help accelerate the transformation of India’s economy, society, and public services.

It remarked that if fully harnessed, AI has the potential to substantially boost the Indian economy. “AI will play a crucial role in delivering the target of a $1 trillion digital economy by 2028, which is expected to account for 20 per cent of India’s GDP. A Google-commissioned report estimated that at least INR 33.8 lakh crore of economic value from AI adoption can be achieved in India in 2030”, said the report.

The report also stated that AI can improve agricultural sustainability and help prevent diseases. Agrostar, for example, launched a multilingual mobile app using Google Cloud that is helping to boost crop yields and encourage sustainable practices for small farmers in India. This contributes to raising rural living standards in poorer parts of the country. Further integrating AI across India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), including in healthcare, education, e-governance and finance, will help unleash AI’s potential and accelerate the benefits of DPI.

Maximising the AI opportunity

To maximise the AI Opportunity for India, the report recommends collaborative efforts across government, industry, and civil society, prioritising three key areas:

• Invest in infrastructure and innovation- Optimising the opportunities presented by this technology by investing in AI research and development, access to and quality of digital infrastructure and compute capacity, and providing a balanced regulatory environment to convert ideas and data into new discoveries, products and services.
• Build human capital and an AI-empowered workforce- Investing in people to ensure they can use and benefit from AI, from students to workers, and from small businesses to traditional industries.
• Promote widespread adoption and universal accessibility- Harnessing AI across governments and all sectors of the society to address major societal and economic challenges and ensure the benefits of AI are widely shared.

Full Report