India could consider appointing an AI Czar to push for leadership

A policy advisor could help guide AI regulation and advancements at the cutting edge of technology

- SRINATH SRIDHARAN is a corporate advisor and independent director on boards.

If technology is the new oil, who should steer the oil-tankers? Can India afford to drift without an artificial intelligence (AI) captain in the age of AI? Incoming US President Donald Trump has announced the appointment of former Paypal executive David Sacks as a "crypto and AI czar" to guide policy. The message is clear: governing AI and generating commercial value from AI innovations is an urgent need for global supremacy.

For India, brimming with digital ambitions but battling systemic inertia on AI and Web3, that should be a nudge. Does India need an AI policy advisor (or perhaps ministry) of its own, or will we remain content with piecemeal policies and separate regulatory turfs?

AI should be seen as a general-purpose technology poised to reshape how we live. Nations that master AI will craft the rules of future global engagement. For India, this is about safeguarding sovereignty, driving equitable growth and ensuring that AI works for and not against our societal values.

Yet, India's current approach lacks coherence and speed. Policies are fragmented across ministries, investment in the STEM ecosystem is anaemic, and coordination between the Union and state governments—especially in education—seems lacklustre.