AI Edge special: India AI Impact Summit Is about outcomes, not investment pledges, says MeitY Secretary S Krishnan

S Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

• India AI Impact Summit emphasizes outcomes, adoption, and inclusion over investments
• Summit to highlight India's frugal AI innovation and responsible deployment
• Global South's concerns and inclusive AI use are key priorities for the summit

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As India prepares to host the India AI Impact Summit from February 15 to 20, the government is signalling a deliberate shift away from headline-grabbing investment pledges towards something more grounded: outcomes, adoption and inclusion.

In an exclusive conversation with Moneycontrol, S Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, made it clear that the summit is not being designed as an investor roadshow or a forum for grand commitments.

Instead, its ambition lies in shaping shared priorities through leaders' declarations, working group outputs and practical demonstrations around how AI can be deployed responsibly and at scale.

The India AI Impact Summit is being positioned as impact-first? What are the concrete outcomes that the government is expecting from the summit?

Krishnan: There are a few. First and foremost, of course, are the usual things in terms of a leaders' declaration and so on, which covers broadly, a much broader understanding of what is happening on a range of things in this space. Those are, that's one part of it.

The second part of it is actually to demonstrate to the world what India actually can bring to the table and what is it that India has that can be shown to the world.

I think the PM mentioned this on Thursday to a group of innovators about frugal innovation -- that at a much lower cost, we would be able to do a lot more with a technology like AI.

The second part of it is how it can act on an overlay on things like DPI and so on. So there's an inclusion aspect. And what is the kind of work that has already happened in India, which we can showcase for adoption, not just in India, but elsewhere in the world.

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If you look at the previous summits, I think there's been a little bit of question mark in terms of the follow through, in terms of like the commitments made..?

Krishnan: I don't think you are looking at it like these investors meetings and things which are held. Many state governments hold these investors meetings where people come and say, I'll invest so much in your country, I'll invest so much in our country. That is not the purpose of the AI summit.

The AI summit is not intended for people to come and say, make commitments on investment. I mean, they may, but that's incidental..

For instance, the working committees (formed under the India AI Impact Summit), are working on certain deliverables, like reports and so on. How do you follow through with what the report is saying (beyond the summit)?

Krishnan: So in the report, they'll have to give us some concrete recommendations. So we don't know what those recommendations are going to be. They will emerge. When those concrete recommendations emerge, in the leaders' declaration, we'll have to capture those. And we'll have to follow up and get that done.

The government's approach towards AI has been inclusive, innovation-friendly. You're also in the summit, you'll also be dealing with geographies who are taking a much more like restrictive approach, very guardrails-centric. How are you planning to strike a balance in this dialogue with these countries?

Krishnan: I think in some ways, the diversity of approach helps. Because then you have experimentation with different approaches, you know what's worked, what's not worked, you can learn from each other's examples, you approach and see problems in different ways. The objective situation which you find yourself in may be very different.

For many Western countries since AI basically replaces cognitive work, their concern would be very different from the kind of concern that India would have.

So, the situation from which they approach it would be different. The situation from which we approach it is different.

So, you learn from each other. I think that's where we find middle ground.

Because nobody thinks identically on an issue, there are separate interests. So, you have to then see where is it that you can have some commonality of interest so that you can go for it.

But would I be correct in saying the priority would be the Global South and India?

Krishnan: For us, it is partly, what, because this is the first time a country of the Global South is chairing the AI summit. So, which means naturally, the concerns of the Global South will be a priority for India.

For startups and enterprises attending the summit, what signals can they look for, especially around compliance, safety norms or future regulations?

Krishnan: That is an independent thing. That has nothing to do with the summit as such. I mean, okay, there is a working group which is working on those aspects. They will come up with their suggestions and then we will figure out how we adopt it, what we need to do.

For startups, the real opportunity is to actually showcase the kind of solutions that they have built and then figure out, where is it that they can find markets, where is it that they can find other partners and other stakeholders with whom they can work.

Would we have any of the foundational models applicants (under the India AI Mission) who have been approved? Would we have any of them ready?

Krishnan: We are hoping to, yes.

Sarvam is supposed to have…

Krishnan: Sarvam will hopefully be ready by then. One or two more also we hope will be ready.

But there has been some kind of delay, right..

Krishnan: Not great delay. These things go back and forth. Once they are ready, they will come out.

In the summit, will the government also be working on collaborative AI development with other countries? And if that happens, there is also a risk of IP fragmentation.

Krishnan: We will have to see. A lot of what we are putting out is also open source. So, if it is open source, then naturally, the question of IP doesn't arise. So, that depends on the way that in each situation we operate.

And sir, for the layperson, what could they expect from India AI Summit? Like, what would your message for general citizens?

Krishnan: One of the themes of the summit is inclusion. Which basically means that we have to make sure that AI people understand. People know what its possible benefits are, what its downsides are, what the risks are. And in a way, they should know how it can be used and how it can benefit them when it gets used.

I think that's an important element of it. And the awareness about AI and some modicum of the way that it can be used and being aware of what good it could do and what risks it carries is something which I think is very important to have an engaged citizenry.

The interview is part of Moneycontrol's AI Edge newsletter, our weekly newsletter on all things artificial intelligence. Sign up here.