Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys, believes India's digital foundation will drive the country's AI adoption, surpassing the rest of the world. He emphasized this point at the Carnegie Global Technology Summit 2025, highlighting India's technological sophistication over the past 15 years.
India's advancements in digital infrastructure, such as Aadhaar and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), have laid the groundwork for AI integration. With over 900 million smartphone users, India is poised for widespread AI adoption, making devices the basis for "reimagining work".
The shift from Hindi and English to every major Indian language will make technology more accessible, while AI-powered voice and video interfaces will replace typing and touch. However, Nilekani also stressed the need for changes in workflow and habits to effectively integrate AI, particularly in enterprises and government.
He cautioned against the hype surrounding AI, emphasizing that implementation challenges remain significant. India's AI mission has already developed small-scale models, and Nilekani urged scaling up these efforts rather than focusing on global competition.
Nilekani envisions India becoming the "AI use case capital of the world", leveraging its unique challenges and needs to drive innovation. By focusing on practical applications and solutions, India can harness the power of AI to address its specific problems and create new opportunities for growth and development.
