Vinay Kwatra: AI must deliver practical benefits to scale in India

India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, stated that the scale of artificial intelligence adoption in India will depend on its ability to provide practical benefits to ordinary citizens and businesses. Speaking at the Ideas4India forum in Seattle, Kwatra cautioned technology leaders against the assumption that American AI models can be directly replicated in the Indian context.

Kwatra emphasized that India’s technological approach must be driven by its specific development needs. He noted that for widespread adoption, AI must produce tangible outcomes, citing the example of a small grocery owner who would only invest in intelligence if it delivered useful results. He also pointed to India’s digital public infrastructure as a successful model of technology gaining acceptance through practical utility.

According to the ambassador, AI deployment in India will be shaped by the level of infrastructure available and the capacity of society to absorb the technology.