Nandan Nilekani stresses AI diffusion, says India can lead on use cases

New Delhi [India], February 19 (ANI): Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has said the real challenge in artificial intelligence lies in scaling it to the masses, not just building it.
Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit, he said, "What we have learnt is the diffusion of technology is a different ball game, how do you get technology to a billion of people."
Citing India's experience with UPI, digital transactions and financial inclusion, Nilekani said the country understands how to scale technology across a vast population.
"Diffusion is a technic, its both an art and a science. It involves institutions, policy making, negotiations, dealing with incumbents, dealing with new comers, strategic for execution. So the whole trust building,. It's a whole host of thing and I think if all the investment in AI is going to deliver the value to society, or individuals, we will have to have to look at diffusion pathways. We have to take it to everyone and I think India will lead on that," he said.
"I have always been saying that India should focus on becoming the use case capital of the world."
He asserted that India will be able to lead on that.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a powerful message of technological optimism at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, asserting that while some view the rise of artificial intelligence with apprehension, India embraces it as a cornerstone of its future growth.
Addressing the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, the Prime Minister stated, "While some see fear in AI, others see the future. I can say with utmost pride that India finds its future in Artificial Intelligence," emphasising the nation's proactive and optimistic stance toward the technology.
PM Modi highlighted the unprecedented velocity of the current technological era.
"AI is making machines intelligent, but more than that, it is increasing human capabilities manyfold. There is only one difference: this time the speed is unprecedented and the scale is also unexpected. Earlier, the impact of technology used to take decades to be visible. Today, the journey from machine learning to learning machines is faster, deeper and wider than ever," the Prime Minister said
.Emphasising the moral weight of this transition, PM Modi compared the advent of AI to the discovery of nuclear power, urging the global community to consider the legacy being left for future generations. (ANI)