IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to discuss India’s ambitious AI strategy, focusing on creating an entire AI ecosystem, including GPUs, models, and applications. The minister shared on X that Altman expressed his willingness to collaborate with India across all three areas.
Vaishnaw also mentioned how Prime Minister Modi’s vision of democratizing technology resonated with Altman. Drawing a parallel to India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission, which was accomplished at a fraction of the cost compared to other nations, Vaishnaw emphasized the potential for India to develop a low-cost AI model that could be just as effective. He noted that innovation is the key to driving down these costs.
India’s AI applications span various sectors, including healthcare, education, agriculture, weather forecasting, disaster management, and transportation, with ongoing efforts to leverage AI in these fields. During the meeting, which included a number of startups, Vaishnaw encouraged the startup community to propose unique solutions for India’s AI ambitions.
The Minister also shared a video of his interaction with Altman and the startup group, mentioning that India would soon launch an open competition for AI innovation. Earlier, during the India Today-Business Today Budget Roundtable, Vaishnaw revealed that India would have its first foundational AI model ready within the next 10 months.
As part of India’s AI mission, the government will host an open-source model on Indian servers, following the example of China’s ‘DeepSeek.’ India’s AI mission, with a budget allocation of around $1.2 billion (Rs 10,000 crore), was approved last year. Vaishnaw highlighted that AI is still in its early stages but predicted that future innovations would be groundbreaking, thanks to India’s strong IT industry and vast data resources. While AI promises enhanced services, concerns about potential job displacement persist as the technology evolves.