New Delhi [India], January 29 : CEOs of various private companies and experts on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure in the country after meeting with the latter at his residence at Lok Kalyan Marg.
CEOs informed that PM Modi focused on developing the technology to ensure universal access, while putting emphasis on a self-reliant India.
C Vijayakumar, CEO and MD of HCL Tech, said, "It was very inspiring to listen to the Prime Minister. His knowledge on AI and where it should be applied is very inspiring. I think he was focused on how we can create solutions which the world will see as the best. He was really focusing on what the unique selling proposition of India's AI solutions."
KK Krithivasan, CEO of TCS, said, "Really impressed by the way the Prime Minister had his vision. He talked about how we should not only impact, but also inspire the world. This is a very powerful statement. He also made statements about how we have to become self-reliant in India and how we have to ensure that the privacy of the citizens is protected while we are leveraging AI."
Venugopal Lambu, CEO and MD of LTI Mindtree, said that PM focused on creating impact and inspiring the world through AI.
"This was the most inspired and motivational talk that I've heard from the world leader on AI. He spoke about creating impact, but at the same time inspiring the world. The haves and have-nots in the world are going to be divided by technology. So how can you use AI for universal access, whether it's for health, for economic growth, for productivity?..."
Srini Pallia, CEO and MD of WIPRO said, "I think the way he talked about skilling India, building applications for India, building a sovereign infrastructure and also helping the world and he also talked about some of the great examples about how we were self-sufficient in terms of Make in India through UPI, how we could actually become an India AI export."
Sridhar Vembu, Founder of ZOHO Corporation, said PM Modi motivated the CEOs to develop a technology for the benefit of every Indian.
"He gave us the inspiration and the motivation to work on problems relevant to our country, how to leverage this technology and make it to the benefit of every Indian. That is the mission and also how to attain self-reliance in all this technology in our nation," he said.
Kiran Thomas, CEO, JIO Platforms Limited, said, "What really impressed me the most was his feel for what AI can do for India. As he very aptly put it, we know technology as an industry, but he understands India, he has a vision for the country, and is most enthused by what technology can do, and his call for welcoming technology but not being dependent on others, but to develop our own capacities as a country that has been most inspiring."
PM Modi's interaction was aimed to foster strategic collaborations, showcase AI innovations, and accelerate India's AI mission goals, according to a release.
During the interaction, the CEOs expressed strong support towards the goal of becoming self-sufficient in AI technology. They also acknowledged the efforts and resources the government is putting to put India as a leader in AI on the global stage.
The Prime Minister emphasised the need to embrace new technology in all spheres and use it to contribute to national growth. He also urged the use of indigenous technology across key sectors.
Speaking about the upcoming AI Impact Summit, the Prime Minister highlighted that all individuals and companies should leverage the summit to explore new opportunities and leapfrog on the growth path. He also stated 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.
Prime Minister highlighted 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', the Prime Minister stated that "we need to create an impact with our technology as well as inspire the world". He also urged the CEOs and experts to make India a fertile destination for all global AI efforts.
The high-level roundtable saw participation from CEOs of companies working in AI, 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 for Electronics and Information Technology, Jitin Prasada also participated in the interaction.