R Chandrashekhar, Former Nasscom President

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Rentala Chandrashekhar, former Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has said India’s approach to artificial intelligence can be significantly different from the Western narrative, which is often dominated by fears of job losses.“India can chart a very different path. But that is only possible with deliberate design. With vast digital capabilities backed by a $315 billion IT industry and human capital comprising 2 million AI professionals, with hundreds of thousands possessing highly advanced AI skills, we can put AI to use in different ways,” he said.Chandrashekhar, who was also the former President of NASSCOM, was addressing a roundtable on a white paper on “AI for ALL: Catalysing Jobs, Growth, and Opportunity”, which was prepared by Prosus, a venture capital firm, in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).Stronger SystemsThe white paper provides a framework for embedding AI into institutions and critical sectors to improve productivity, expand economic opportunity, and strengthen public service delivery on a scale.Stating that the country has several strengths, including proven implementation capabilities for massive projects like Aadhaar, and UPI (Universal Payments Interface), he, however, flagged some weaknesses.“We have limited capabilities in foundational technologies, semiconductor chips, and telecom equipment. The government has introduced a seven-pillar AI mission to address these gaps,” he said.“India’s AI opportunity will ultimately be defined by how effectively we deploy AI across sectors that impact millions of lives every day. From AI-enabled agriculture and healthcare to education, financial services and manufacturing, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh offer valuable lessons on how AI can translate into higher productivity, stronger public services and more inclusive economic growth,” Sehraj Singh, Managing Director - India and VP - Global Corporate Affairs, Prosus & Naspers Group, said.He said the company was planning to do periodic follow-up studies to capture the status of the AI landscape in the country.Published on July 7, 2026