India at the Forefront of AI Policy: AI4India & CPRG at AI Action Summit Paris 2025
The AI4India Weekly #38
As India cements its position as a global AI leader, AI4India and the Center of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG) are taking a major step forward by hosting a key side event at the AI Action Summit Paris 2025, which will spotlight India's growing influence in shaping AI policies, innovation, and governance. With a focus on "Data for Development: Building AI in the Global South," the event will bring together top policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to discuss data sovereignty, AI-driven economic transformation, and the future of work.
Meanwhile, India continues to accelerate its AI ambitions domestically. From the government’s upcoming affordable foundational AI model to Yotta’s launch of 'myShakti', the country is making bold moves to strengthen its AI ecosystem. In this edition, we explore these developments, along with insights on ethical AI governance and India's response to DeepSeek’s breakthrough in cost-effective AI development.
Shaping AI for the Global South: AI4India & CPRG to Host Side Event at the AI Action Summit Paris 2025
AI4India & The Center of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG) are set to host a pivotal side event at the AI Action Summit Paris 2025, marking a significant milestone as the only non-government organizations from India to do so. This prestigious summit, co-chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside other global leaders, underscores India’s growing leadership in shaping the global AI landscape.
In collaboration with the Centre for Indo-European Cooperation, CPRG and AI4India will convene a roundtable titled "Data for Development: Building AI in the Global South." Bringing together global industry leaders, policymakers, and researchers, this event aims to address pressing data-related challenges that hinder the development of mature AI systems in the Global South. The dialogue seeks to drive actionable strategies and foster a collective commitment to an inclusive, trustworthy, and transformative AI ecosystem.
The discussions will center on three key themes:
Data Sovereignty in the Global South: Leadership in the Age of AI
A deep dive into how nations can assert control over their data assets while fostering equitable global collaboration through robust legal, ethical, and strategic frameworks.
Reimagining Economies: AI’s Role in Driving Growth in the Global South
An exploration of AI’s transformative potential to reshape economic landscapes, stimulate innovation, and address both opportunities and risks across diverse sectors.
Shaping Workforces: AI’s Influence on Non-Skilled and Semi-Skilled Labor
A discussion on AI’s impact on labor markets, focusing on job displacement, reskilling strategies, and sustainable employment opportunities for non-skilled and semi-skilled workers.
Highlighting the urgency of balanced innovation and regulation, Shashi Shekhar, Co-Founder of AI4India and former CEO of Prasar Bharati, remarked, "At the AI Action Summit Paris, we have a unique opportunity to shape regulatory frameworks that ensure innovation goes hand in hand with accountability. This dialogue is critical for creating a future where AI serves all segments of society responsibly."
Adding further perspective, Alok Agrawal, Co-founder of AI4India, stated, "Our Datadaan initiative will democratize access to data as a public good for startups, researchers, and developers. The Global South has its own unique challenges and data needs, and Western data isn’t all we’re looking for. This platform will enable us to gather AI experts and a dedicated peer group ready to drive dialogues and discourse on the data that truly matters."
Dr. Ramanand, Director of CPRG, emphasized, "Our participation in the AI Action Summit Paris underscores our commitment to an inclusive, trustworthy, and transformative AI ecosystem. In line with Prime Minister Modi’s vision to propel India as a global leader in AI, we are dedicated to shaping policies that empower the Global South and drive sustainable growth."
Aligned with India’s mission to foster responsible AI innovation, CPRG and AI4India remain steadfast in their efforts to cultivate global collaboration and actionable strategies that address the unique AI needs of the Global South. To learn more about the upcoming discussions and key themes of the event, we invite you to watch this video.
Minister Vaishnaw Announces India’s Affordable AI Model to Rival ChatGPT & DeepSeek
India is making a bold move in the AI landscape with its own cost-effective foundational model designed to compete with ChatGPT and DeepSeek. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the model, tailored for Indian languages and cultural contexts, will be ready within 10 months. With 18,693 GPUs powering the initiative, including 10,000 already deployed, the project underscores India's growing AI capabilities. The cost of using the model will be significantly lower than global counterparts—₹100 per hour after a 40% government subsidy—making it highly accessible for businesses, startups, and researchers.
To further strengthen India’s AI ecosystem, Vaishnaw also introduced the IndiaAI Safety Institute, which will focus on ensuring AI safety, security, and trust. The institute will collaborate with academia, industry, and startups while emphasizing indigenous R&D using Indian datasets. By developing a competitive and inclusive AI model, India is positioning itself as a key player in the global AI race while prioritizing affordability and local needs.
Yotta Unveils 'myShakti': India's First Sovereign GenAI Chatbot
Yotta Data Services has launched 'myShakti', India's first fully sovereign B2C generative AI chatbot built on the open-source DeepSeek AI model, myShakti operates entirely on Indian servers within Yotta's NM1 data centre, ensuring complete data security and sovereignty. The chatbot runs on an advanced infrastructure comprising 16 nodes of H100 GPUs, totalling 128 H100s. The beta version is now available for free as a web application at myShakti.ai
This initiative aligns with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's vision of hosting DeepSeek within Indian borders to promote self-reliance in AI. Darshan Hiranandani, CEO of the Hiranandani Group and Chairman of Yotta Data Services, emphasized that myShakti underscores Yotta's dedication to making India self-reliant for its AI needs. Sunil Gupta, Co-founder and CEO of Yotta Data Services, highlighted that the integration of DeepSeek is a game-changer, with its open-source nature and low compute requirements drastically reducing costs. Yotta plans to continuously enhance myShakti's capabilities and develop sovereign AI solutions in the generative AI space.
DeepSeek's AI Breakthrough: A Wake-Up Call for India's AI Ecosystem
The release of DeepSeek’s AI model has sparked global interest, proving that high-performing AI can be built at a fraction of traditional costs. Using just 2,000 Nvidia H800 GPUs and a budget of $6 million, DeepSeek has developed a model competitive with OpenAI’s GPT-4.0—raising a crucial question for India: why didn’t we build this first?
In their Indian Express opinion piece, Prof. B. Ravindran (IIT Madras) and Krishnan Narayanan (itihaasa Research and Digital) argue that DeepSeek’s success should serve as a catalyst for India to accelerate AI innovation. The model’s affordability and open-source nature make it a game changer, enabling Indian startups to deploy AI without relying on foreign servers. However, India must move beyond application development and invest in fundamental AI research, model training, and AI infrastructure.
The authors stress that India has the talent but needs structured, mission-mode AI projects, leveraging initiatives like the IndiaAI Mission’s GPU clusters. They call for a collaborative push from the government, private sector, and academia to develop indigenous foundation models—ensuring India’s AI leadership in the global landscape.
Beyond Compliance: AI Promise Statements as a Cornerstone of Trust
The rapid advancement of generative AI (GenAI) has revolutionized industries, unlocking new creative and operational efficiencies. However, alongside these innovations comes the need for responsible AI development and deployment. While regulatory frameworks and industry guidelines provide essential oversight, they often focus on compliance rather than proactive accountability. AI Promise statements—public commitments by organizations to ethical AI practices—offer a way to build transparency and trust beyond regulatory mandates.
Global regulatory bodies, including the French Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) and Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), emphasize risk assessment, human oversight, and data governance to ensure AI safety. Similarly, Australia’s Voluntary AI Safety Standard provides guardrails for ethical AI use, while NASSCOM in India has outlined guidelines addressing misinformation, privacy concerns, and bias mitigation. These frameworks establish a baseline for responsible AI but primarily focus on adherence rather than proactive ethical commitments. AI Promise statements shift this paradigm by embedding ethical considerations into an organization’s core values, ensuring AI development aligns with internal governance frameworks and societal expectations.
Beyond compliance, AI Promise statements play a crucial role in building consumer trust. By openly declaring ethical commitments—such as ensuring fairness in AI training data or implementing Privacy by Design principles—organizations demonstrate transparency and accountability. This not only reassures users about responsible AI use but also provides companies with a competitive edge. As consumers become more aware of AI’s ethical implications, businesses that prioritize responsible AI practices can differentiate themselves in the market, attracting loyal customers who value trust and integrity.
Additionally, the process of crafting AI Promise statements encourages internal reflection and improvement. Organizations are compelled to critically assess their AI strategies, identify risks, and implement safeguards to uphold ethical standards. This fosters a culture of accountability and responsibility, ensuring that AI systems remain fair, transparent, and beneficial to society. As AI continues to evolve, these proactive commitments will be instrumental in shaping a future where technology serves humanity ethically and equitably.
#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.
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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