'Courts and law enforcement need to build Al capabilities'

Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice-chairman and president, highlighted the crucial role artificial intelligence (AI) is set to play in our lives at work and beyond, at the B20 India Summit.

- Shouvik Das, Gulveen Aulakh & Varun Sood

In an interview during his visit to Delhi, Smith said India is one of Microsoft’s fastest-growing markets, driven by digital transformation in the past decade. He also said that though there are numerous opportunities in generative AI, there is clearly a hype cycle around it. Besides, he reiterated the company’s readiness to navigate the multiple regulations on AI in India, and touched upon Microsoft’s cybersecurity skilling initiatives. He said India’s new regulations may alter the future trajectory of Big Tech. Edited excerpts:

Statistically, what is India’s share in Microsoft’s operations?

No one should have any doubt about the importance of India—whether it is about Microsoft or other tech companies. It is one of the fastest-growing markets for Microsoft globally. That is a reflection of this enormous spurt in digital growth India has been on for the last five years—it has accelerated and shows no sign of abating. It’s good for India, and certainly good for us. That said, we don’t give a geography-wise breakdown of our numbers.

What kind of AI regulations are needed across countries and what would Microsoft want from India?