India’s Moment in the AI Era
AI represents the next colossal leap in technology, and India stands at the forefront of this innovation. The nation is already witnessing a surge in engineers, data scientists, and IT professionals, which gives it a comparative edge. But capitalising on this advantage remains a challenge because of a single prevailing concern—brain drain.
The Indian diaspora constitutes nearly 15 percent of the world’s AI talent. But instead of directly contributing to the nation’s technological progress, that expertise is largely utilized overseas, and the gap between talent generation and national gain continues to widen.
The pivot of achieving India’s AI goals, as Rajat Khare, a global investor and founder of Boundary Holding, an investment firm based in Luxembourg that focuses on deep technology, puts, is reversing the mass talent migration. And there is no better time than now for India to cultivate its own talent ecosystem.
The Emergence of AI Initiatives in India
India is far from a beginner. The country has already taken giant leaps towards establishing its digital infrastructure for the development of AI technology, complimented by government initiatives. Nevertheless, India’s methods and practices in AI is not to simply try and imitate Western nations.
Instead, it is to construct tools adapted to the country’s unique setting. With 22 recognized languages and a plethora of dialects, India is in an exceptional position to design AI tools in multiple languages, which global technologies often fail to address. This edge as a multilingual country could help India engineer AI tools that are truly transformative and inclusive.
Why does brain gain remain elusive?
For all the progress India has made, the country still battles with retaining its talent. Educated professionals seek another country to work in, especially Western countries, as a result of the so-called brain drain. Offered research infrastructure, world-class research networks and institutions, as well as better pay, serve as a pull factor.
Still, there is insufficient public financing for advanced AI research. Also, higher education institutions tend to be disconnected from private sector players. This absence of collaboration hinders the creation of a dynamic environment that fosters creativity. On the other hand, international AI research centers and corporations provide lucrative remuneration and working conditions, which Indian organizations are unable to offer.
Rajat Khare mentions that the lack of coordination is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. The way he sees it, the technology-related workforce in India is among the best assets the country has, and its continued drain to other lands is detrimental in the long run. He points out that not only must India nurture and produce talent at a global level, but also needs to put stringent measures into retaining and rewarding that talent to compete with other nations.
Constructing the Foundation for AI Innovation
For India to become a global center for AI, the right steps should be taken. Government officials, educational heads, and private sector financiers all have important responsibilities. Among the most pressing actions to implement include:
- Deepening research investment: Establish additional AI centers of excellence nationwide, particularly in tier-2 cities.
- Making retention compelling: Develop retention-friendly programs like fellowships, doctoral initiatives, and offer globally competitive pay packages to keep researchers in India.
- Assisting startups: Help channel funding into deep-tech startups that can develop scalable AI solutions addressing both local and global issues.
- Building global networks: Encourage collaboration between foreign-residing Indian-origin academics and local institutions, even if the partnership is remote or adheres to a hybrid model.
- Demonstrating leadership: Conducting the planned 2026 Global AI Summit in India will publicise the country as a thought-leader.
With steep increases in the gross domestic product, Rajat Khare remarks that within the coming years, India’s gross domestic product will strike the $10 trillion mark. This growth path opens India to globally competitive projects, giving an added reason for its supposedly brain-drained engineers to partake in domestic projects.
India’s Multilingual Edge
The defining asset of AI in India is undoubtedly the languages it has to offer. Creating AI for regional and national languages such as Sanskrit, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi is not about communication—it’s the technology that understands the culture. The languages are powerful because they are AI that serves rural people, small enterprises, and government initiatives, giving them the digital access that no international provider offers. Through the understanding of inclusion and the culture of the people, India might be the only nation that will change the effect of AI on daily life.
In such a case, AI is development technology, not just a business opportunity, that can remove gaps in access to technology and strengthen people.
The Road Ahead
India is no longer just a source of skilled workers for overseas tech firms. It is now on track to become an AI superpower. Still, all depends on whether it can retain its thinkers, innovators, and builders.
The type of brain drain discussed above is now regarded as a matter of policy. India has the ability to not just contribute but lead AI globally through strategic investment in research, rewarding innovation more competitively, and forging stronger partnerships.
The opportunities in AI are growing exponentially. It is promising that the government is looking to tap into this, as Rajat Khare rightly points out, but the retention and nurturing of talented individuals traction India will be able to keep in the secondarily will decisively impact whether India leads the global AI wave or continues to trail behind.
FAQ
1. What factors does Rajat Khare consider critical for India’s AI leadership?
He highlights the fact that India not only has a large pool of technical talent but also strong digital infrastructure and the special chance to develop multilingual AI systems. The attainment of this goal depends on the retention of talent in the country.
2. What measures can curb the brain drain of AI talent in India?
Globally competitive salaries, stronger linkages between academic institutions and industries, and grants for researchers and startups can help stem AI talent brain drain.
3. What distinguishes India’s approach to AI?
In contrast to Western approaches, India emphasises on developing multilingual and culturally adaptive AI systems that address the needs of different communities and help in reducing digital disparities.
