India’s artificial intelligence story today is defined by scale, ambition and paradox. On one hand, India boasts one of the largest AI user bases globally — with millions embracing tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and AI-driven apps on mobile — and its AI adoption rate outstrips many parts of the world. This massive usage has helped position the country as a key node in the global AI ecosystem, earning it recognition as one of the most competitive AI nations.

Yet, while India is the biggest AI lab by users and data, it has historically been less dominant as an architect of core AI technologies — the foundational models, chips and deep research that shape the next generation of AI. Domestic startups like Sarvam AI are building language models tailored to India’s linguistic diversity, and national initiatives like the IndiaAI mission and AI Centres of Excellence are expanding research infrastructure and talent pipelines.

The real challenge now is to convert the vast adoption and talent into original AI architecture and innovation — building sovereign models, research ecosystems, and hardware capacity that can rival the United States, China and other AI powerhouses. India’s engineers, data scale and digital infrastructure lay a strong base, but becoming an AI creator — not just a consumer — remains the next big frontier for the nation’s tech ambitions.