5 days ago
Sam Pitroda Says India Lags in AI, Urges Public Focus
Sam Pitroda says India is not using artificial intelligence well enough as a country.
He says Indian experts are important in the global AI industry.
However, he believes India does not have a clear national AI plan.
He wants AI to help solve everyday problems for ordinary people.
These problems include slow courts, schools, healthcare and farming.
He says technology should make healthcare cheaper and help settle court cases faster.
Pitroda also believes tools made for India could help other developing countries.
He supports building technology within India and says earlier efforts helped create IT skills and jobs.
Sam Pitroda said India has made little national progress in artificial intelligence despite Indian technologists’ global prominence.
He said India lacks a clear AI policy and direction and has not meaningfully used AI in governance.
Pitroda urged AI projects targeting court backlogs, education, healthcare costs and farmers’ needs.
He argued that technology developed for Indian challenges could also benefit developing countries with similar problems.
Pitroda promoted indigenous development and said earlier efforts helped build India’s IT workforce and seven million jobs, according to his account.
- Who
- Sam Pitroda, a senior Congress leader and technology policymaker.
- What
- Pitroda said India is lagging in national AI progress and called for AI to address courts, education, healthcare, agriculture and governance.
- Where
- New York, where Pitroda spoke to IANS in an interview.
- When
- August 28, 2026.
- Why
- He said India lacks a clear AI policy and should direct its technical talent toward public and economic challenges, especially those affecting poorer people.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Sam Pitroda
- Assessment
- Pitroda said India is in a bad position on AI as a nation, while Indian technologists are prominent in the field.
- Policy concern
- He said India has no AI policy or clear direction and has not used AI for governance.
- Suggested applications
- Pitroda highlighted court cases, education, healthcare, agriculture and other public needs.
- Global potential
- He said solutions made for India could also help developing countries, including countries in Latin America facing judicial backlogs.
- Indigenous development
- Pitroda supported domestic technology development and cited earlier work associated with C-DOT.
- IT workforce claim
- Pitroda said earlier technology efforts helped create seven million IT jobs and lift seven million families from poverty.
Quotes
Sam Pitroda
Senior Congress leader and technology policymaker
“We have to be really solving the problems of the poor. I have always said this for last 40 years, that best brains in the world are busy solving problems of the rich, who really don't have problems to solve. As a result, problems of the poor don't get the attention they need.”
thehansindia.com
freepressjournal.in
“How is AI going to improve our education? How AI is going to improve our health system? Can AI bring the cost of health system down? How is AI going to be h- helpful to our farmers? Those are the issues.”
thehansindia.com
