Addressing the Youth & AI Policy Lab – Case Study Challenge, an official pre-event to the AI Impact Summit 2026, Shri Kartikeya Sharma said India’s approach to AI is governance-led, citizen-centric, and development-oriented, shaped by the leadership and vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Shri Kartikeya Sharma on Thursday said that India has moved decisively beyond debating the potential of Artificial Intelligence and is now institutionalising it through law, public digital infrastructure, and carefully designed policy frameworks anchored in trust, inclusion, and public interest.
“The Government of India has been clear that Artificial Intelligence must be ethical, inclusive, and aligned with national priorities. Under the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, India has chosen to build AI on the foundations of law, trust, and public good rather than unchecked experimentation,” Shri Sharma said.
In his address, Shri Sharma outlined three foundational pillars defining India’s AI ecosystem. First, public trust and legal accountability in data governance, ensured through the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which mandates informed consent, purpose limitation, and clear responsibility for misuse of personal data.
Second, national capability building, driven by the IndiaAI Mission approved with an investment exceeding ₹10,300 crore. The Mission focuses on creating shared high-performance computing infrastructure, ensuring that AI innovation is accessible to startups, researchers, and public institutions rather than concentrated in isolated silos.
Third, population-scale Digital Public Infrastructure, including platforms such as Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. These systems enable AI deployment at national scale while safeguarding citizen rights and institutional integrity.
Shri Sharma noted that AI adoption in India is already delivering measurable outcomes. From digital health systems and secure real-time payments to AI-enabled education and agricultural advisory services, technology is expanding access and improving service delivery across sectors.
On the economic front, he said India’s technology and AI ecosystem currently supports over six million jobs, with projections indicating that AI could contribute up to $1.7 trillion to the Indian economy by 2035.
Namo Shakti Rath: Translating AI from Technology to Public Good
Referring to the Namo Shakti Rath initiative, Shri Kartikeya Sharma said the programme demonstrates how Artificial Intelligence can be applied with social sensitivity, institutional accountability, and human dignity.
He said late detection of breast cancer remains a serious public health challenge in India, often driven by distance from healthcare facilities, cost barriers, and social hesitation. The Namo Shakti Rath addresses this gap by deploying AI-enabled, radiation-free, non-invasive screening directly within towns and villages, taking early detection services to women in their own communities.
Crucially, Shri Sharma noted, the initiative is designed as a complete public health pathway. Screening is integrated with referral mechanisms so that suspected cases are seamlessly linked to the public healthcare system for follow-up and treatment. “Here, AI is not an abstract technology. It is a practical tool that expands access, supports early diagnosis, and improves outcomes while respecting social realities,” he said.
He added that the initiative reflects the Prime Minister’s vision of Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar and the government’s commitment to AI for All, where technology serves people rather than displacing human systems. Speaking on global AI governance, Shri Sharma emphasised that the future of AI regulation cannot be shaped without the Global South.
He said countries of the BRICS grouping, representing nearly 40 percent of the world’s population, are uniquely positioned to influence global AI norms that balance innovation with equity, fairness, and practicality. “The Youth & AI Policy Lab is important because it moves young people from the margins of debate to the centre of policy design.
The recommendations emerging from this platform will directly inform national and global AI discourse,” he said. Concluding his address, Shri Kartikeya Sharma said India is demonstrating that ethical, inclusive, and sovereign AI is not a slogan but an achievable governance model.
“Technology creates capability, law builds trust, policy provides direction, and values determine outcomes. India is ready to lead, and to partner, in shaping a responsible AI future,” he said.