Cyber Defence To AI: Estonia Offers A Digital Roadmap For India

Estonian PM Michal said, 'Starting from this year, we have AI in our school curriculum. This will mean that in two years, one-third of our students and teachers will be learning how to use AI in a smart way, affecting our labour market, businesses, and opportunities.'

- ASHISH SINGH

Estonia, a Baltic nation lauded globally for its pioneering cybersecurity framework and groundbreaking artificial intelligence initiatives, is positioning itself as a key digital partner for India. Recently, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal underlined the importance of deepening bilateral ties between the two democracies, highlighting shared interests in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and diplomatic cooperation amid ongoing geopolitical shifts.

Prime Minister Michal acknowledged India's growing global influence, asserting, "India has been accruing power in the whole world, economically, but also politically, so we would very much appreciate that India would be pushing Russia to end aggression in Ukraine. That is the first thing."

A Cybersecurity Model Worth Emulating

At the heart of Estonia's cybersecurity prowess is the Cyber Defence League (CDL), an innovative model that integrates volunteer IT professionals, academics, and government experts into a unique public-private collaboration framework. Established under the Estonian Defence League Act, the CDL's crisis-response capability was significantly boosted following a series of crippling Russian cyberattacks in 2007.

Highlighting the distinctiveness of this approach, Michal said, "Estonia has a robust IT sector, which is quite unusual because in many countries in Europe, the state is operating on its own, and the private sector is also operating on its own. But Estonia has this kind of model where we are working together with private companies, and it is working absolutely well, and that is why we are so strong."