Technology will decide economic leadership and a nation's power: Niti Aayog

New Delhi [India], September 15 (ANI): National power in the coming years will be decided by technology leadership and control of technology, and not just the size of the economy, said Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog.
She shared this during her address at the launch of the AI for Viksit Bharat Roadmap: The Opportunity for Accelerated Economic Growth and the NITI Frontier Tech Repository on Monday.
Addressing the gathering, Ghosh said the ability of a country to accelerate economic growth, societal growth, and have global influence is no longer going to be determined solely by the size of the economy, the army, or oil reserves.
"It is more and more going to be decided by technology leadership, and most importantly, control of technology," she said.
She added that nations that secure critical supply chains in sectors like artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technologies, and biotechnology will have the advantage of setting global standards.
"Those that can set standards early will play a defining role in setting the course for the world," she noted.
Ghosh also stressed that identifying emerging trends early gives countries a significant edge.
"History has shown us that spotting these trends early is half the battle won. If you can spot trends early, and you invest early in building capabilities, in building the R&D that is needed to lead, you will be the leaders, and the rest will follow," she said.
In a video message at the event, N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, highlighted the importance of AI for Viksit Bharat Roadmap and outlined three key outcomes the initiative should achieve.
"We are launching our roadmap for AI for Viksit Bharat, unlocking accelerated economic growth. The time for this initiative and the launching of this roadmap cannot be more appropriate. We are at an inflection point where we have an enormous opportunity to embrace AI, to make a huge impact on our country," he said.
He expressed his privilege in being part of the expert council that worked on the roadmap and shared insights and recommendations.
"Fundamentally, AI should achieve three core things. First, we should be able to significantly leverage it to unlock the economic growth potential of India. Second, we should be able to skill and create employment opportunities for all the youth in our nation in the AI world of this century. And the third, we should be forever able to solve basic issues, be it healthcare, education, or others," he said.
NITI Frontier Tech Repository is a curated platform of proven, impact-driven technology use cases that are already solving real problems across the nation. (ANI)