According to research by Tufts University’s business school, the Fletcher School, India ranks 15th among the top 25 artificial intelligence (AI) nations, and it has the greatest upward potential. At the top is the US, followed by China, the UK, Japan, and Germany. In the 15th spot, India is ahead of Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico, Turkey, Indonesia and Thailand.
The research compares the state of AI across countries based on four drivers: The rapidly accumulating pools of data through broadband consumption; the rules of how data can be accessed, which include data governance policies and cross-border data flow; capital, which includes talent, investments, diversity of AI talent and evolution of the digital foundation; and finally, an innovation which includes patent applications, citations, publications, etc.
According to Bhaskar Chakrovorti, dean, global business, Fletcher School, India has the second-fastest growing pool of data of the countries, after Indonesia. It already has the world’s largest pool of mobile data. All of these can help accelerate its position as a data-rich country, critical for advancing AI, as long as the data is made accessible in responsible ways. However, there are certain roadblocks. India’s data accessibility is low, particularly for cross-border movement of data. While India’s AI/machine learning (ML) talent base is a major source of AI power, it needs to invest in data science, ML, and technical education to build on this strength.
As per Chakrovorti, the government needs to have AI safety regulations in place that build guardrails, prevent the use of AI for surveillance, enhance privacy and security, and continue to promote innovation. This is a tall order as these regulations take a long time to take shape in India. He noted that while India restricts access to data, its AI regulation rules are still fluid. In July, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a new consultation paper that called for a statutory authority to regulate AI under a risk-based framework.
