India Can Play a Role in Shaping How AI Diffuses Through Society

Diffusion pathways are not pre-set. These could be influenced by human agency and public policy

- NITIN PAI

The race to develop artificial intelligence (AI) is dominating headlines and conversations, as this geopolitical contest is expected to shape the global balance of power in the decades ahead. DeepSeek has exposed the US industry's extravagant claims of unsurmountable supremacy and thrown the field wide open. Today anyone in the world with above-average computer skills can hope to deploy open-source AI models that are close to the state of the art. This means that the shift in value creation from AI development to diffusion will take place far earlier than anticipated.

The winners in the age of AI will not only be those who've built the smartest machines, but also those who make use of those machines most effectively. AI, like fire, electricity and computing, is a general purpose technology in that it permeates and transforms all sectors of the economy. It also has extreme compounding effects and early adopters—economies, firms and individuals—could establish and maintain leadership for a long time. So strategists and policymakers must quickly direct their attention to how India adopts AI as much as how India builds it.