The competition between the United States and China on artificial intelligence is heating up recently. In the coming AI Race, can India with an abundance of engineering talent really catch up with the US and China?

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics, and The Internet of Things (IoT) are one of the rapidly advancing technological developments. The rate of progress in the field of these is amazingly rapid. From SIRI to self-driving cars, artificial intelligence is changing our daily life in many ways.

The competition between the United States and China on artificial intelligence is heating up recently. In the coming Artificial Intelligence Race, Can India India with an abundance of engineering talent really catch up with the US and China?

India is on course to become the third-largest economy in the world (by GDP) within the next few years according to MIT Technology Review. Indian government released a report on artificial intelligence in 2018 that calls for the country to boost investment and focus on deploying the technology in manufacturing, health care, agriculture, education, and public utilities. Currently, around 400 new companies in India have put resources into work including artificial intelligence and machine learning.

India’s artificial intelligence taskforce identified 10 important domains of relevance, such as manufacturing, healthcare, education, retail, public utility services and national security, which could benefit from artificial intelligence adoption. The report consists of five-year recommendation plan which outlines the action plan:

Setting up six Centres of Excellence Setting up a generic AI test bed that could serve as a validation platform for AI-based technology developers Increasing awareness of AI through AI yatras Setting up a digital bank, marketplaces and exchanges to facilitate AI applications Establishing standards for design, development and deployment of AI-based systems AI-based curriculum, education and reskilling Leveraging key international relationships and participation in AI-based international standard-setting discussions

India is already making great strides in developing technical infrastructure and strategic awareness, but when it comes to artificial intelligence talents, India dropping behind China and its Western counterparts.

Rajiv Malhotra, founder of Infinity Foundation and an internationally known researcher and public intellectual on current affairs, is answering the question of “Artificial Intelligence: Is India Ready?” at YUVA JNU Conference.