Despite AI’s potential, challenges persist. High computing costs, reliance on foreign AI models, and a shortage of skilled professionals hinder scalability. The IndiaAI Mission, with a ₹10,372 crore budget, aims to address these through indigenous models like BharatGen and Sarvam-1, alongside AI Centres of Excellence. Public-private partnerships and skilling initiatives, such as Karnataka’s AI/ML training programs, are critical to building a robust AI ecosystem.
Pradeep Reddy, Director of Engineering at Confluent India, reflected on how India’s tech mindset is evolving from adoption to innovation, “India has always had the talent pool, a young, tech-savvy population that gives us the advantage of demographic dividend. In the last decade or so, we have seen a gradual mindset shift to lead the next wave of global tech innovation. What excites me most about our tech ecosystem today is what’s happening inside the engineering community. The fear around AI is fading, not because it’s getting easier, but because our engineers are getting smarter. They’re asking better questions, focusing on outcomes, and building with more intent. The tools are evolving fast, but so are we. Across emerging tech hubs in the country, there’s a clear shift from learning to building. Indian technologists have moved beyond adopting global innovation. There’s a growing drive to shape it, localize it, and scale it in ways that work for India and Indians. But with all this momentum comes responsibility. We can’t afford to be passive adopters. We need to keep pushing ourselves, to upskill constantly, stay outcome-focused, and take ownership of what we build. If there’s one thing we need to leave behind, it’s complacency.”
