New York, August 28: Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda has expressed concerns over India’s slow progress in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), despite the significant contributions of Indian experts in developing this technology. In a special interview, Pitroda stated, “I regret to say that India is not in a good position regarding AI. However, Indian individuals are well-positioned in the AI domain. These are two different matters.”
He emphasized that many Indians are shaping AI, but as a nation, India has made minimal advancements. “We lack a clear policy on AI. There is no direction. We have not utilized AI in governance,” he added.
Pitroda, who played a crucial role in the expansion of telecommunications and information technology in India, noted that the true measure of AI’s success should be its ability to solve common people’s problems. He cited the millions of pending cases in courts as an area where AI could bring significant change.
“Can I use AI to resolve my court cases? If a specific technical mission is initiated to solve court cases through AI and it succeeds, I would be very pleased,” he remarked.
He further stated that developing AI solely for financial markets or Western countries’ issues is insufficient. India must focus on its social and economic needs. “Creating AI for Western problems, banking, or stock markets is fine, but it doesn’t attract me much. The real question is how AI will improve our education? How will it strengthen our healthcare system? Can AI reduce healthcare costs? How can it assist our farmers? These are the real issues,” he emphasized.
Pitroda dismissed the notion that technology developed for India’s needs would have limited global utility. “When you create something for India, it can also be useful for the world. Today, every product is a global product. It depends on the problem you are solving,” he explained, referencing similar challenges faced by countries in Latin America.
He also supported indigenous technological development and recalled India’s early tech initiatives, stating, “I certainly support indigenous development. We did this at C-DOT. We did this at C-DAC. This was about 45 years ago.”
According to him, these efforts have cultivated human resources that later strengthened India’s IT sector. “We developed human capacity. That capacity is serving us today. The IT sector has created 7 million jobs. At least 7 million families have risen out of poverty. India gained global recognition in the IT sector, all due to Indian talent,” he said.
Pitroda urged India to leverage its talent to address the problems of poor and developing countries, rather than just catering to the business needs of wealthy nations. “We must solve the problems of the poor. For the past 40 years, I have been saying that the world’s most talented people are engaged in solving the problems of the rich, while the poor’s issues do not receive the attention they need,” he concluded.
Pitroda, a telecommunications engineer and policymaker, is widely associated with the establishment of the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) during former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure and later led the National Knowledge Commission under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
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