India is powerhouse of global IT services industry: PM Modi

India has proved to be the powerhouse of the global IT services industry, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the country will continue to digitally excel and delight the world. “We want India to become a global hub for AI,” he said during the inauguration of RAISE 2020 – Responsible AI for Social Empowerment.

Independent studies show that AI has the potential to raise India’s annual growth rate by 1.3 per cent and add US$957 billion to the country’s economy by 2035. For big companies and industries, AI can boost growth and profitability and transform businesses. The manufacturing sector could see a share-of-profit increase of 39 per cent due to AI-powered systems whose ability to learn, adapt and evolve over time can eliminate faulty machines and idle equipment. For entrepreneurs and young companies, AI can serve as a tool to take on much larger incumbents, and for the society as a whole, AI can improve public safety and save lives as well. As India strives to rekindle productivity and growth, AI promises to fill the gap. A full and responsible implementation of AI will open new economic opportunities.

Modi said India’s National programme on AI will be dedicated towards the rightful use of AI in solving societal problems. He emphasized that human intellect should always be a few steps ahead of AI. “Human creativity and human emotions continue to be our greatest strength. They are our unique advantage over machines. Even the smartest of AI cannot solve mankind’s problems without blending with our intellect,” the prime minister observed.

The Minister for Electronics & IT Ravi Shankar Prasad revealed that the government has set up AI centers of excellence. He said more such centers will be set up to train the youth. “Technology at times overwhelms us, but we welcome AI to generate development and promote equity,” Prasad said. “India’s resource of demographic dividend will play a key role in promoting pools of skilled professionals to take the country’s AI ecosystem forward.” The minister said India’s application of AI will become a beacon for the world. Professor Raj Reddy, former Co-Chair US President’s IT Advisory Committee, pointed out the benefits of AI in bridging language barriers and for managing pandemic situations. “Using AI, anyone can translate from any language to any language ride in a self-driving car and play Chess at Grandmaster level,” Reddy said. “Looking forward, we can expect AI to help eliminate lockdown, replace one-size-fits-all education by personalizing education based on individual student capabilities and interests, watch any movie and talk to anyone in any language and empower the people at the bottom of the pyramid.”