Ashwini Vaishnaw says India has among highest AI diffusion rates, calls for AI infrastructure push

IT minister says India is seeing high AI adoption and urges industry and state governments to share responsibility in building infrastructure and talent.

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said India has “probably the highest AI diffusion rate” in both the consumer and enterprise sectors, and called for a focus on building AI infrastructure as the country’s IT sector transitions to automated coding.

Speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, Vaishnaw said the ongoing shift driven by artificial intelligence is a “once in a generation transition.”

Vaishnaw said India has “probably the highest AI diffusion rate both in consumer and enterprise sector.” He did not provide specific data to quantify the claim.

He said the focus now has to be on 'getting AI infra in place.'

Referring to changes in the technology industry, Vaishnaw said India’s IT sector is transitioning “from coding to automated coding.” He added that “the architecture is being designed by the IT companies.”

From the government’s side, Vaishnaw said, “we are providing the talent pipeline.”

He said responsibility for the AI transition “has to be taken by industry, central and state governments.” He added that the government will provide “whatever support IT industry needs” and that discussions are ongoing with IT leaders.

Vaishnaw also said state governments “have to take responsibility” in this process.