Shaping India’s AI Vision
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit 2025, which took place from 10 February 2025 to 11 February 2025 in Paris, France, was an important international forum for leaders, decision-makers and tech entrepreneurs to discuss the future of AI and how it will affect society, governance and the economy. Under the subject ‘AI for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future’, the conference addressed important topics including data privacy, ethical AI development, fair access to AI technologies, and how it can help solve global issues like healthcare, digital transformation and climate change.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation at the Summit highlighted India’s emerging leadership in AI and commitment to promote responsible innovation. With AI poised to play a significant role in socio-economic advancement, India aims to establish itself as a global centre for AI while ensuring that all sections of the society benefit.
Modi’s speech at the Summit underlined India’s AI roadmap, investments in the field, and its goal of using AI to promote sustainable and equitable development, thereby reaffirming India’s ambition to become a worldwide AI powerhouse.[ii] India’s AI-driven economic growth, technology’s role in governance, digital transformation and its effects on sectors like manufacturing, healthcare and education were highlighted by PM Modi during his speech.
To accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goals, PM Modi highlighted how AI can revolutionise industries including agriculture, health and education. He promoted combining resources and expertise to develop applications that are effective, people-centered and anchored in regional ecosystems. In response to worries that AI might eliminate jobs, Modi pointed out that although technology alters the nature of work, it also generates new job opportunities. He advocated for funding skill-building and reskilling programmes to get workers ready for a future powered by AI.
Modi emphasised the importance of concentrating on sustainability while highlighting the significant energy requirements of AI technologies. He promoted the creation of AI models that are efficient in terms of size, data requirements and resource requirements, comparing them to the human brain’s ability to create intricate systems with little power consumption. Modi highlighted India’s accomplishments in creating an affordable digital public infrastructure for its 1.4 billion citizens and its standing as the largest AI talent base globally. He also reaffirmed India’s commitment to participating in the global AI conversation by stating that the nation would be happy to host the next AI Summit.[iii]
India-France AI Cooperation
The conference offered a chance to deepen partnerships with France, the European Union and international AI pioneers. The advancement of technology and the economy are being significantly influenced by AI with countries making significant investments in AI research and development (R&D). Several agreements were signed during the Prime Minister’s visit, including the India–France Declaration on Artificial Intelligence, the Letter of Intent for the Indo-French Center for Digital Sciences, and the Agreement to Support Indian Startups at Station F, which aims to boost research, innovation and ethical AI governance. To promote innovation and ethical technology development, India and France have strengthened their strategic digital collaboration through important agreements. While the Indo-French Center for Digital Sciences Letter of Intent focuses on promoting collaborative research and digital skill-building, the India–France Declaration on Artificial Intelligence highlights responsible AI governance.
The Agreement to Support Indian Startups at Station F, the biggest start-up campus in the world, in Paris, also gives Indian business owners a chance to grow internationally. As part of India’s larger digital diplomacy objectives, these projects represent a major step towards enhancing bilateral collaboration in emerging technologies. France, with its advanced AI research ecosystem and India with its vast talent pool and growing AI start-ups, present a complementary partnership…Numerous collaborative initiatives have been launched to fortify AI ecosystems in both countries.
Global Partnership
An international effort called the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) seeks to promote the ethical use and application of AI in a way that respects human rights, diversity, inclusion, innovation and economic expansion. The European Union and more than 28 member nations are currently part of GPAI, which was started in June 2020 under the leadership of Canada and France. The initiative’s administration is housed at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. GPAI helps governments, academia, industry and civil society work together, bridging the gap between AI research and policymaking.
Data governance, which entails creating frameworks for data usage and privacy, and responsible AI which guarantees that AI systems follow moral standards, are two of the partnership’s main areas of interest. By supporting AI-driven technological developments and economic progress, GPAI fosters innovation and commercialisation. Recently, it has also broadened its scope to encompass AI and climate action, investigating AI’s possible contribution to tackling worldwide environmental issues.
India is a key player in determining the direction of global AI governance as a founding member of GPAI. In December 2023, India hosted the GPAI Summit. India’s AI policy, which highlights the necessity of inclusive AI policies and international cooperation, is in line with GPAI’s goals. GPAI improves global collaboration in AI governance, guaranteeing that AI technologies are created and applied in ways that minimise possible hazards.
AI Policy Roundtables
In terms of enhancing bilateral cooperation on AI governance and innovation, the 2025 India–France AI Policy Roundtables are important turning points.
On 25 January 2025, the first roundtable was held as part of the Technology Dialogue 2025 at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, India. The development of inclusive AI frameworks, the encouragement of public–private partnerships for AI research and development, the use of sustainable AI solutions in domains like healthcare and governance, and the alignment of long-term AI policies between France and India were the main topics of this first meeting.
The second roundtable was held on 10 February 2025, in Sciences Po Paris, France, as an official side event to the AI Action Summit 2025, building on the groundwork established in Bengaluru. Organised by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, in partnership with IISc, the IndiaAI Mission and Sciences Po Paris, this event brought together policymakers, researchers and industry leaders from both nations. International cooperation, responsible
AI development, data interoperability and collaborative AI governance were the main topics of discussion. India’s and France’s shared democratic ideals and commitment to using technology for sustainable development were reflected in the roundtable, which emphasised their common commitment to using AI’s potential for the greater good…
Conclusions
India’s active involvement in the 2025 AI Summit shows its increasing significance in determining the direction of global technology governance from a geopolitical and international relations standpoint. India sees AI as strategically important to enhance its defence and national security capabilities and establish itself as a major participant in international technological partnerships. In the contemporary context, AI is rapidly becoming a tool of strategic power, and India is using it to position itself globally. The country’s emphasis on moral AI, alliances with superpowers and encouraging home-grown creativity demonstrates a well-rounded strategy for incorporating AI into its strategic and defence objectives.
(Courtesy: https://www.idsa.in/; Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the Government of India)