AI to D2M - Call to Action on DeepTech for India

The AI4India Weekly #33

As India steps into 2025, artificial intelligence stands as a pivotal force with the potential to reshape industries, enhance government services, and improve lives across the country. From healthcare innovations to economic advancements, AI offers transformative benefits that promise to elevate India's position as a global leader in technology. With a focus on skilling, ethical governance, and accessible data, India is uniquely positioned to harness the power of AI to address its most pressing challenges and unlock opportunities for growth. As we look ahead, the opportunities for AI-driven impact in sectors like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing are vast, and 2025 is set to be a watershed year in realizing these goals. Read on to explore the vast potential that lies ahead this year!

Deep Tech: Paving India's Path to Global Digital Leadership

By Shashi Shekhar Vempati

India's aspirations to lead global digital innovation hinge on its ability to embrace and scale deep tech—a transformative segment spanning artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum computing, and more. A recent article in Business Standard underscores the need for a focused, multi-pronged strategy to drive deep tech innovation in India.

With the Indian government already prioritizing initiatives like the National Quantum Mission and the National Programme on AI, the foundation is set. However, to emerge as a true global leader, India must nurture an ecosystem where R&D thrives, startups are supported, and cross-sector collaborations are encouraged. Strengthening deep tech capabilities will not only drive economic growth but also enhance India's position as a global tech powerhouse.

The call to action is clear: a sharper focus on skilling talent, investing in cutting-edge research, and enabling a policy framework that fosters innovation. By aligning stakeholders from academia, industry, and the public sector, India can bridge the gap between ambition and impact in deep tech. Read More

D2M Technology: Transforming India's Digital Connectivity

Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technology is emerging as a game-changer in India’s journey toward digital inclusivity. By enabling broadcast content to be streamed directly to mobile devices without relying on mobile internet, D2M has the potential to revolutionize content delivery, particularly in areas with limited connectivity.

This innovation aligns perfectly with India’s vision for a digitally empowered society. Imagine rural communities gaining seamless access to news, educational content, and emergency alerts without worrying about internet access or data costs. Furthermore, D2M opens up new opportunities for public service broadcasting and disaster management, ensuring critical information reaches citizens in real-time. Read More

AI Predictions for 2025: What Lies Ahead?

The global AI landscape is on the cusp of unprecedented transformation, with 2025 promising to be a pivotal year. According to insights shared by CIO.com, trends like generative AI, hyper-personalized experiences, and the rise of autonomous decision-making systems are set to redefine industries.

India, with its burgeoning AI ecosystem, is poised to play a key role in this evolution. As AI-driven solutions become integral to sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and finance, India's focus on skilling, data accessibility, and ethical AI governance will be critical. Predictions also point toward greater adoption of AI in government services, which aligns with India's ambition to leverage AI for societal impact.

The coming years will test how nations, including India, adapt to AI's rapid advancements while addressing challenges like data privacy, bias, and sustainability. The road ahead is clear: innovation with responsibility. Read More

Human Instinct: The Irreplaceable Factor in Decision-Making

Despite its remarkable advancements, artificial intelligence (AI) still falls short in replicating the nuanced decision-making capabilities of human instinct and situational awareness. As highlighted in a recent article by Arvind Gupta and Aakash Guglani, AI’s analytical prowess can process vast amounts of data, but it lacks the adaptability and emotional intelligence that define human judgement.

From autonomous vehicles to high-stakes sports, the limitations of AI are evident. While self-driving cars struggle with situational variables like unpredictable pedestrian behavior or wet road physics, human drivers instinctively respond to these challenges using years of experience. Similarly, in sports and leadership, decisions often rely on intuition and unconventional thinking—qualities AI cannot yet emulate.

Indian chess prodigy D. Gukesh’s victory over world champion Ding Liren in the 2024 FIDE World Championship is a testament to the enduring power of human intuition. Much like Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s famous decision in the 2011 Cricket World Cup final, Gukesh demonstrated how human instinct excels under pressure, blending technical precision with psychological insight.

The future of decision-making lies in a symbiotic relationship between humans and AI. While AI enhances analytical capabilities, human creativity, adaptability, and instinct remain irreplaceable in navigating complex, high-stakes scenarios. Striking this balance will require interdisciplinary collaboration to harness AI’s potential without undermining the unique strengths of human judgement. Read More

AI in Indian Healthcare: Transforming 2025 and Beyond

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing India's healthcare landscape, promising breakthroughs in diagnostics, treatment, and accessibility by 2025. AI-powered tools are enabling early detection of diseases such as cancer, optimizing treatment plans, and improving patient outcomes through predictive analytics.

Emerging trends also include AI-driven telemedicine platforms, which are bridging the healthcare gap in rural areas, and robotic process automation, streamlining hospital workflows. Startups and healthcare providers are leveraging these innovations to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.

However, challenges like data privacy, regulatory frameworks, and integration with existing systems remain. India’s proactive approach to skilling healthcare professionals and fostering innovation will be key to unlocking AI's full potential in this critical sector. Read More

AI and IoT: Bridging India’s Healthcare Gaps

The collaboration between MeitY and NASSCOM CoE is driving transformative change in India’s healthcare sector by integrating AI and IoT solutions. This initiative focuses on addressing critical challenges like accessibility, affordability, and efficiency in healthcare delivery.

Key innovations include AI-powered diagnostic tools and IoT-enabled remote monitoring systems, which are enhancing patient care, especially in underserved regions. By leveraging real-time data and predictive analytics, these technologies are streamlining medical processes and improving outcomes.

With support from startups, tech innovators, and healthcare providers, this collaboration represents a significant step toward a smarter, more inclusive healthcare system for India. Read More

RBI’s Push for Ethical AI in India

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has formed a panel to establish guidelines for the ethical use of AI in the financial sector. This initiative aims to address concerns related to data privacy, bias in AI algorithms, and responsible decision-making in banking and finance.

The panel will focus on ensuring AI adoption aligns with ethical standards, safeguarding customer interests, and promoting transparency. With AI playing an increasing role in fraud detection, credit scoring, and customer service, the RBI’s move underscores the importance of balancing innovation with accountability. This effort marks a significant step toward building trust in AI-driven financial systems and setting a benchmark for responsible AI use in India. Read More

In the News

• DeepSeek V3: Leading the Open-Source AI Revolution
  DeepSeek V3 has been unveiled as the best open-source AI model, offering unmatched capabilities in natural language understanding and data analysis. This breakthrough reinforces the potential of open-source innovation in advancing AI technologies. Read More

• Cloud, AI, and ML Lead Tech Adoption in Indian Banks
  An RBI survey highlights that cloud computing, AI, and machine learning are the top emerging technologies adopted by Indian banks. These innovations are transforming customer experience, risk management, and operational efficiency. Read More

• AIIMS Commits ₹300 Crore to AI-Driven Healthcare
  In a bold move to modernize healthcare, AIIMS has pledged ₹300 crore to integrate AI-driven solutions. This investment aims to revolutionize diagnostics, treatment, and patient care across the institution. Read More

#DataDaan - Donate for a Digital India

Aligned with the IndiaAI mission and the efforts from MeitY to ensure the availability of AI-usable data across govt, the #DataDaan campaign by AI4India.org is inviting participation from individuals and organizations to contribute valuable data for AI development in India. This initiative aims to gather diverse datasets to enrich the national data repository, supporting innovation across various sectors. We encourage everyone to read the detailed white paper on the campaign - https://bit.ly/DataDaan and fill out the form - http://bit.ly/3XfxD3H to contribute to this transformative effort.

We’ve also created a podcast on #DataDaan using Google’s NotebookLM, which transforms documents into engaging audio conversation. Listen to the podcast below!

This concerted push to make AI work for India highlights how data accessibility can unlock the potential for large-scale socio-economic transformation, driving innovation, and ensuring India’s competitive edge in the AI-driven global economy.

NOTE: The views expressed by the authors are their own. AI4India as a forum does not endorse any comments on specific brands, products, platforms or companies.

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