India at inflection point to harness AI for jobs and growth: Tata Sons chairman

India stands at an “inflection point” with a significant opportunity to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and create a lasting impact, Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said on Monday.

He made the remarks while speaking at the launch of a Niti Aayog report titled AI for Viksit Bharat: The Opportunity for Accelerated Economic Growth.

Chandrasekaran urged the industry to collaborate with the government in leveraging AI’s potential. “We are at an inflection point where we have an enormous opportunity to embrace AI to make a huge impact for our country,” he stated.

He highlighted the role AI can play in skilling the youth and generating employment opportunities across the country. “We should be able to solve basic issues, be it healthcare, education using AI and thereby create huge empowerment opportunities and reduce the inequality that exists today,” he added.

For AI to deliver its benefits, Chandrasekaran emphasised the need for cooperation between the government, industry, and society. “The industry should work closely with the government in the policy formulation, take full ownership and demonstrate execution,” he said.

Chandrasekaran also stressed that AI must be applied across all sectors, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare. “We need fully, integrated AI solutions to be able to deliver economic growth and prosperity,” he said.

He further pointed out that the government should support small and medium enterprises in utilising AI to create value, employment, and economic growth. “The government should enable all of us, small and medium enterprise companies to take full advantage of AI to deliver value, jobs and economic growth,” he said.