The Aakhya Weekly #134 | AI Action Summit 2025: Shaping the Global AI Future
In Focus: India’s Leadership at the AI Action Summit
by Mohamed Azmil & Lovenish Kumar
The AI Action Summit 2025, held in Paris, marked a defining moment in the global discourse on artificial intelligence. Co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the summit underscored the necessity for inclusive and sustainable AI governance. India’s active participation and leadership at the event reinforced its position as a key player in the evolving AI landscape, advocating for responsible AI development while ensuring equitable access for citizens worldwide.
India’s Growing Influence on Global AI Governance
By co-hosting the AI Action Summit with France, India declared its strong intent to lead the global conversation on technology-led governance and commitment to shaping AI’s future. This partnership was not just symbolic; it highlighted India’s emergence as a global tech powerhouse capable of influencing the debate on AI regulations, innovation, and ethical considerations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s opening address at the summit set the tone for India’s vision. He emphasised the transformative potential of AI across governance, economy, and security. Subsequently, he called for a collective global approach to AI governance, stressing that responsible and inclusive AI development must be at the core of international collaboration.
Advocating for Inclusive AI Governance
India’s focus at the summit was defined by its experiences at home, given how it dealt with themes such as inclusivity and ensuring AI benefits all sections of society, especially developing nations. This approach is evidenced by the PM’s speech, where he reiterated India’s commitment to “AI for All,” a principle rooted in democratising access, particularly for the Global South.
While AI governance discussions often focus on mitigating risks such as misinformation, bias, and security threats, India insists on adopting a broader perspective. India argues that AI governance should go beyond risk mitigation, fostering innovation that serves humanity. India’s successful implementation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) was presented as a model for leveraging AI to drive growth, inclusion, and public service delivery.
Strengthening India-France AI Collaboration
The partnership between India and France in AI governance builds upon previous successful collaborations, such as the International Solar Alliance. PM Modi emphasised that AI must be approached with the same cooperative spirit, ensuring that AI innovation aligns with sustainability and human-centric values.
At the summit, the host countries pledged to deepen cooperation in AI research and open-source AI models and aid the creation of AI-driven solutions for environmental sustainability. This collaboration also extends to AI applications in healthcare, climate resilience, and data sovereignty—areas where India has strong national interests.
Data Sovereignty and Indigenous AI Development
India advocated for AI models built on indigenous datasets, recognising data’s crucial role in AI model training and ensuring cultural and contextual relevance in alignment with its position on data sovereignty. This approach indicates India’s consistent push for building capabilities that can help achieve self-reliance in technology.
To advance this vision, India introduced the “Data Daan” initiative — A framework that encourages responsible sharing of local data to enhance AI applications in healthcare, agriculture, and governance. By prioritising local datasets, India aims to create AI systems that cater to regional linguistic and socio-economic diversities, ensuring AI-driven solutions are tailored to the needs of millions of its citizens. Furthermore, India announced that it is developing indigenous Large Language Models (LLMs) tailored for diverse linguistic and cultural needs, reflecting its determination to reduce dependence on foreign AI models and establish a self-sustaining AI ecosystem.
Global AI Regulation: Diverging Perspectives
The summit also brought to light differing perspectives on global AI regulation. While India supported the summit’s declaration on “inclusive and sustainable” AI—alongside 60 other nations—the United States and the United Kingdom refrained from signing. Their reluctance was primarily due to concerns over national security and the implications of a unified global AI governance framework.
Despite this divergence, India remained steadfast in advocating for AI frameworks centred on ethical considerations, public interest, and sustainability. By endorsing responsible AI governance, India aligned itself with a coalition of nations committed to fostering global AI development while safeguarding human rights and equitable opportunities.
Hosting the Next AI Action Summit: India’s Vision for AI
One of the most significant announcements at the summit was India’s decision to host the next AI Action Summit. This move solidifies India’s position as a global leader in AI governance and innovation and an opportunity to shape the global AI discourse and showcase its advancements in AI-driven public services, digital inclusion, and sustainability.
In next year’s summit, India aims to bridge the gap between AI superpowers and emerging economies. Strategists believe India’s experiences could help devise a blueprint for AI-driven progress in developing regions, showing how AI could be leveraged for large-scale digital transformation, particularly through initiatives like Aadhaar, UPI, and DPI.
AI for SDGs & India’s AI Leadership Roadmap
Recognising AI’s potential to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), India advocated for AI solutions that are people-centric, environmentally conscious, and socially responsible. From deploying AI in climate modelling and disaster prediction to optimising water resource management and improving healthcare delivery, India is already exploring multiple avenues where AI can contribute to sustainability. Collaborations with international stakeholders at the summit reinforced the need for AI policies that could contribute to ecological preservation and long-term economic growth.
Moving forward, India’s AI strategy will focus on three key areas:
AI Skilling and Talent Development: Recognizing the need for an AI-ready workforce, India is expanding AI education programs and industry-academia collaborations to build talent pipelines.
AI in Public Services: From smart governance to AI-assisted healthcare, India aims to integrate AI into public sector applications to enhance citizen welfare.
AI Regulation and Ethics: India will continue shaping global AI regulations, ensuring a balanced approach between innovation and responsible governance.
The road ahead presents challenges and opportunities as India must navigate complex regulatory landscapes, bridge the AI talent gap, and ensure AI adoption remains ethical and equitable. Amidst geopolitical tensions and the changing political landscape in the US, India’s leadership in this sphere will address the interests of the underserved communities and Global South countries. As AI continues to redefine industries and societies, India’s proactive approach—rooted in innovation, collaboration, and ethical considerations—ensures that the transformative potential of AI is harnessed for the greater good. Moreover, its track record in leveraging digital infrastructure for inclusive growth provides a strong foundation.
The AI Action Summit 2025 was a milestone and forward-looking strategic move, and setting ambitious agendas for upcoming summits is essential to deliver an AI-driven future that is fair, accessible, and beneficial for all. India’s growing economic heft and a seat at the table where global norms are deliberated will help the country assume leadership and redefine pathways for equitable, technology-driven global governance. As the host of the AI Action Summit’s next edition, India’s leadership will be sought, contested, and watched by AI leaders, innovators, and policymakers beyond borders.
Top Stories of the Week
TRAI's Enhanced Regulations for Consumer Protection
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has implemented substantial amendments to the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018, to fortify consumer protection against Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC). These revisions aim to address evolving challenges in telecommunications by promoting transparent commercial communication and safeguarding consumer interests.
Notable aspects include the introduction of a simpler spam reporting mechanism, enabling consumers to file complaints against spam calls from unregistered senders without prior preference registration. The complaint window has been extended to seven days, and action against violators will now occur within five days. Moreover, stringent penalties have been established, with financial disincentives ranging from ₹2 lakh to ₹10 lakh for persistent offenders. The new provisions also mandate standardised identifiers for promotional messages and suspension of telecom resources for repeat violators. These measures align with TRAI's mission to develop a secure digital communication environment for all stakeholders.
Regulatory Measures on Real-Money Gaming in Tamil Nadu
The Tamil Nadu government has implemented a sturdy regulatory framework to address the growing concerns associated with real-money gaming (RMG). The newly introduced regulations include the imposition of 'blank hours' from midnight to 5 a.m., effectively curtailing excessive gaming behaviour and its potential repercussions on public welfare. The regulations strictly prohibit minors from engaging in RMG to prevent underage participation. Additionally, the regulations mandate platforms to implement robust KYC protocols at the account creation stage, necessitating Aadhaar-based verification supplemented by an OTP sent to the registered mobile number.
In addition to the above rules, platforms must provide users with options to set daily, weekly, and monthly monetary limits. Continuous cautionary messages about the addictive nature of online gaming are required, with specific warnings displayed prominently on login pages. Moreover, when players make deposits, platforms must display the fixed monetary limit and the amount spent thus far in bold lettering.
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