IBM CEO calls India to develop sovereign AI capacities

IBM chairman and CEO, Arvind Krishna has called on India to develop its own capability in AI, including large language models and generative AI, to ensure the swift integration of the technology into critical sectors and to attract investments in the private sector. He sees the development and deployment of AI solutions as the next wave of opportunity for India.

Krishna emphasised the need for upfront government investment in risky and expensive technologies in order to instil confidence in the private sector. He cited examples such as the US, China, UAE, Saudi Arabia, UK, France, and Germany, which have already made significant investments in their national AI infrastructures. While acknowledging that developing a national AI capability would require substantial investment, potentially in the hundreds of millions of dollars, Krishna expressed firm belief in India’s capacity to undertake such projects, citing the successful space mission, Chandrayaan-3, as evidence.

Krishna proposed the establishment of a national AI computing centre in India that would utilise government data sets in areas such as agriculture, health, and government processes to create a market for AI applications. He believes that by leveraging AI in these fields, India can improve efficiency, enhance decision-making processes, and drive innovation.