Indian diaspora keen to contribute to AI growth, R&D investment needed: MeitY's Abhishek Singh

According to Singh, though this spike in interest looks promising, India still faces challenges in retaining skilled talent.

The India AI Mission has sparked strong interest among Indians residing abroad, with several members of the diaspora submitting proposals to establish AI companies in the country, said Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), on Friday.

Speaking at the Network18 Powering Bharat Summit, Singh underscored this growing enthusiasm among overseas Indians to contribute to India's technological evolution. “We have seen tremendous interest from Indians abroad. Many want to return and be part of India’s AI journey,” he remarked.

According to Singh,  though this spike in interest looks promising, India still faces challenges in retaining skilled talent.

He also stressed the need for patient capital and long-term investment in research and development (R&D) to build a sustainable AI ecosystem.

Catch live updates from the Powering Bharat Summit here.

“There is an inability in India to retain skilled persons. We need to ask ourselves - what more can we do to bring that talent back?” he remarked.

Further discussing India’s evolving AI framework, Singh stated that the country’s upcoming foundational AI model will be distinct from global counterparts and primarily voice-driven.

“Our foundational model will be different from what the world has seen,” he said, pointing to a focus on inclusivity, local language integration, and broad accessibility. “It will be voice-driven, ensuring that citizens across diverse linguistic backgrounds can benefit from AI solutions,” he added.

The Powering Bharat Summit, hosted by Network18 in collaboration with Moneycontrol, News18 India, and CNBC Awaaz, aims to spotlight key policy initiatives and technological innovations shaping India’s future.