Artificial Intelligence and the Public Good

Artificial Intelligence and the Public Good

Artificial Intelligence and the Public Good

https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/india-as-a-use-case-capital-artificial-intelligence-and-the-public-good

Publish Date: 2026-03-18 04:12:00

Source Domain: www.orfonline.org

  • India’s AI Focus on Public Good: India is increasingly using AI to address societal challenges, encouraging innovation rooted in local knowledge and cultural traditions.
  • Leadership and Policies: Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized indigenous AI development and social impact, guiding initiatives like ‘India’s AI Impact Startups’ at the AI Impact Summit 2026.
  • AI Ecosystem Growth: With nearly 1.8 lakh start-ups and significant AI integration, India ranks highly in enterprise AI readiness and innovation.
  • Strategic AI Initiatives: Efforts like Sarvam AI and BharatGen are building foundational AI systems aimed at public service and regional language support.
  • AI Applications in Healthcare and Agriculture: AI is being used to develop localized medical systems and agricultural insights, addressing specific national needs.
  • IndiaAI Ecosystem Development: The IndiaAI Mission is supporting public compute, data infrastructure, and sectoral centres to nurture AI-focused projects.
  • AI Gaps and Challenges: India faces incomplete digital inclusion and institutional capacity issues, hindering full AI adoption despite high readiness in AI skills and enterprise usage intent.
  • Path to Full AI Utilization: Future efforts should focus on public AI capacity building, infrastructure investment, and creating robust governance frameworks to enhance public trust and accountability in AI deployment.