Takshashila Discussion Document - Rebooting AI in India

India is languishing at the bottom of the artificial intelligence (AI) leaderboard when compared with its G20 peers. Other than exporting our best brains, our contributions have been tiny. Even as the gap between the United States and China on one side, and everyone else on the other widens, India's policymakers, researchers, and business leaders have shown little urgency.

We need to shift gears. Our research surveyed the state of AI in India and evaluated various policy options. While there are many recommendations that can be made, we prefer those that are immediate and agile.

Our big idea: launch a privately-funded research and development firm whose sole focus is on fundamental AI problems. This company, BharatAI, has the potential to become the hub of India's AI innovation ecosystem. Our initial estimate calls for an investment of roughly $250 mn over five years. This, we argue, is a high-risk, but high-impact idea that can kick-start India’s AI efforts.

Details on rationale and the approach are outlined in the report.

Authors