ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE NEW ARCHITECTURE OF RURAL TRANSFORMATION

Artificial Intelligence is often described as the defining technology of our time.

- DR PRADIP KUMAR VARMA & NITISH SHARMA

In India, however, its most meaningful transformation is unfolding not in metropolitan laboratories but in the villages of our country. AI is steadily emerging as a foundational driver of inclusive rural development, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 and rooted in the principle that technology must serve society.

Artificial Intelligence refers to systems that can learn, analyse and assist in decision making. What distinguishes India's approach is that AI is being positioned not as a tool of exclusivity but as a public good. It is being integrated into governance, agriculture, healthcare, education and welfare delivery in a manner that strengthens service delivery, improves transparency and expands access for those historically left at the margins.

India's National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, articulated as AI for All, recognised early that rural India must be central to the country's AI journey. The emphasis has been on augmentation rather than displacement. AI is designed to support farmers with data-driven advisories, empower frontline health workers with predictive tools, assist teachers with adaptive learning resources and enable local administrators with real-time planning systems. The objective is clear: technology must enhance human capability and deepen inclusion.