New Delhi: India well positioned to be leader in AI; incredible optimism, unlike anxiety in West: Rishi Sunak
New Delhi, Supported by a deep talent pool and strong digital public infrastructure, India is well positioned to be a leader in AI and demonstrate its mass adoption and deployment in society, former British prime minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday.
At an interactive session at the ongoing AI Impact Summit here, Sunak also said there are different attitudes towards artificial intelligence around the world, and in India, there is “incredible optimism and trust”, whereas in the West, the “overriding feeling is one of anxiety at the moment”.
The session – ‘AI for All: Reimagining Global Cooperation’ – was hosted by Carnegie India in association with the Observer Research Foundation, among other partners.
At the interaction, Sunak was asked about the learnings from the AI Safety Summit, a global event that took place in November 2023 at Buckinghamshire in the UK, under his tenure as the prime minister.
“First of all, there was this scepticism about whether you could get these politicians, leaders and all the entrepreneurs and innovators together, and whether they would understand each other,” Sunak recalled.
The nice thing that came out of the summit was the creation of these “AI security institutes” to help manage some of the risks technology poses, to get people reassured about them, Sunak said.
The Indian-origin politician asserted that crucially, the debate has shifted over the years when it came to AI.
“I think the AI debate has shifted from technology to strategy. From what these tools could do to what countries are choosing to do with them,” Sunak said.
He underlined that for political leaders, “AI can’t be some specialist subject on the side”, it’s got to become the “central responsibility” of a government.
“And that’s what we are seeing at this Summit, with its focus rightly on impact,” Sunak said. India is hosting the AI Impact Summit 2026 from February 16-20 here, in which a large number of world leaders, technology experts and innovators are participating.
Sunak said when he left office, someone gave him a copy of the book ‘Technology and Great Powers’, which looks at the history of great technological revolutions, and proves the thesis that even if you don’t invent a technology, you could be the country that benefits from it the most, stretching all the way back to the printing press.
“I think India has recognised that leadership in technology doesn’t just depend on inventing technology, it’s about how you deploy it,” he said.
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