NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a Roundtable with Indian AI start-ups and interacted with CEOs and experts from the artificial intelligence (AI) sector at his residence at Lok Kalyan Marg, asserting that “there should be no compromise on ethical use.““We should work towards an AI ecosystem which is transparent, impartial and secure. There should be no compromise on ethical use of AI,” the Prime Minister said, while also underlining the need to focus on AI skilling and talent building.“India’s AI ecosystem should reflect the character and values of the nation,” he added.The roundtable was attended by CEOs from AI-driven companies including Wipro, TCS, HCL Tech, Zoho Corporation, LTI Mindtree, Jio Platforms Ltd, AdaniConnex, Nxtra Data and Netweb Technologies, along with experts from IIIT Hyderabad, IIT Madras and IIT Bombay.Union minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union minister of state Jitin Prasada were also present.
Lays out roadmap
He called for the adoption of new technologies across sectors to boost national growth, while urging greater use of indigenous solutions. He urged the CEOs and experts to make “India a fertile destination for all global AI efforts.”Further highlighting India’s digital achievements, PM Modi said that, “through Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India has demonstrated its technical prowess and the same can be replicated in the field of AI as well.”The Prime Minister noted that “India has a unique proposition of scale, diversity and democracy, due to which the world trusts India’s digital infrastructure.”In line with his vision of ‘AI for All’, he stressed the need to develop technology that creates real impact and inspires the world, according to a statement issued by the PMO.“We need to create an impact with our technology as well as inspire the world,” he said, urging companies and experts to make India a key destination for global AI efforts.
Accelerating India’s AI mission
Aligned with the upcoming IndiaAI Impact Summit scheduled for February, the interaction focused on “fostering strategic collaborations, showcasing AI innovations, and accelerating India’s AI mission.”Industry leaders expressed strong support for India’s goal of becoming self-reliant in AI technology and acknowledged the government’s efforts “to put India as a leader in AI on the global stage.”
Energy CEOs express confidence in India
Earlier on Wednesday, PM Modi interacted with chief executives of leading global and Indian energy companies, with industry leaders expressing strong confidence in India’s growth outlook and interest in expanding their footprint in the country.During the interaction, CEOs cited policy stability, reform momentum and long-term demand visibility as key drivers for investment in India’s energy sector.The Prime Minister said such roundtables have emerged as a crucial platform for industry-government alignment, allowing direct feedback from global leaders to refine policy frameworks and address sectoral challenges.PM Modi said the country is moving rapidly towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy and will play a decisive role in shaping global energy demand and supply.The energy roundtable was attended by 27 CEOs and senior executives from companies and institutions such as TotalEnergies, BP, Vitol, HD Hyundai, Aker, LanzaTech, Vedanta, the International Energy Forum, Trafigura, ReNew and MOL, among others. Union minister for petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri, Union minister of state Suresh Gopi, and senior officials were also present.
