India’s Unique AI Opportunity

Every time I visit India, I leave feeling energized and inspired, and last week was no different as I met with Government and business leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and partners in Mumbai and Delhi, all working together to build on the nation’s incredible momentum.?

Let me share some of my thoughts and observations with you.?

AI can be a great equalizer in India?

We are living through an incredible Tech inflection point, powered by Gen AI. I’m deeply convinced that this new era is a defining moment for the world, but particularly for India, where there is a unique opportunity to scale positive impact with technology, especially generative AI.?

Today, India is one of the top five AI talent hubs in the world. Since 2016, there have been 14 times more AI professionals and the AI market is expected to be worth $17 billion by 2027 ; there are more than 6 million software developers and many thousands of innovative companies.?

That’s not all: the India Stack represents an enormous opportunity to rapidly climb the ladder of digitalization, enhance financial inclusion, and bring the country’s 1.4bn people online. It is a world-leading model for other nations, many of which are looking to India as an example of how technology can empower their citizens.?

This presents the real possibility of a future where everyone feels empowered and benefits – a future where AI can be a great equalizer. It was a privilege to share a stage with Fractal 's Srikanth Velamakanni at nasscom to explain how I believe this can be achieved. ?

India’s Innovation Engine: The Disruptive Vision of Startups?

One way to make this future a reality is to empower the next generation of innovators to use AI to solve complex problems and scale positive impact for society and the economy. The disruptive vision of startups is fueling India's innovation engine and startup ecosystem, which is becoming a model for many other nations on the global stage.?

To unleash the potential of every startup, every innovator, and every idea on this journey, I was honored to announce a new partnership with iCreate in Delhi with Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar , Hon’ble Minister of State for Electronics & IT, and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, and iCreate CEO Avinash Punekar .?

The iMPEL-AI program will focus on skills development, but also on fostering a spirit of innovation, with an emphasis on tackling key societal challenges and bringing solutions to market that we can share with the rest of the world. With a deepened focus on core AI startups through this partnership, we are bringing the best of Microsoft’s AI capabilities and our platform, with the scale that iCreate has to offer. Learn more about the initiative and how you can join here: https://impel-ai.icreate.org.in/ .?

The strength of the Indian tech start-up ecosystem lies in its large pool and diversity of start-ups, and I was inspired to meet a few positive impact entrepreneurs in person in Delhi, supported by Project Amplify , a collaboration with Accenture and Microsoft’s Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact initiative.??

From financial services for aspiring female entrepreneurs, to smart water management for businesses, it was great to hear from the young leaders who are carrying on India’s rich history of innovation and driving systemic change. Thank you to Ankit Prasad of Bobble AI , Abhinav Das of Orangewood Labs, Shashwat Srivastava of indiagold , Abhinav Sinha of Eko India, Sairee Chahal of Mahila Money , Nikhil Doegar & Prateek Verma of Tata 1mg , Ashish Airon of CogniTensor , and Ganesh Shankar of FluxGen .?

Building a dynamic skilling ecosystem?

Of course, we must ensure all people have the ability to acquire new skills and have a pathway to meaningful work. It’s why, earlier this month, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA initiative , a major skills initiative to equip 2 million people in India with future-ready skills by 2025.?

It was such a privilege to build on this commitment in Mumbai with a new partnership between Microsoft and Accenture in India . The partnership is designed to foster an inclusive digital skills ecosystem with training opportunities for disadvantaged youth and job seekers.??

I was joined by the All India Council for Technical Education ( AICTE ), Kshitija Krishnaswamy , 埃森哲 , Dr M Jayaprakasan, ISDS., Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, Nagesh Singh , Edunet Foundation , Gunjan Patel , Microsoft, and Shri C.S. Murthy. IT & Examination, Directorate General of Training, Ministry of Skills Development & Entrepreneurship. Thank you for your inspiration and collaboration.?

I believe India will lead the world in the promise of AI, as it enters a new “Techade”. By working together across the public and private sectors, harnessing the country's spirit of innovation, and applying the incredible power of generative AI, I am excited to see what the next few years will bring to drive innovation and economic growth.?