AI Will Be Central to India’s Developed Nation Vision by 2047: Dharmendra Pradhan

Artificial intelligence will be a defining force in India’s journey to becoming a developed nation by 2047, said Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, at the IndiaAI Summit in the capital.

“By 2047, India must be a developed nation, and AI will play a huge role in that journey,” Pradhan said, describing the technology as a transformative tool that can reshape how the country learns, innovates and governs.

Speaking about the larger shift underway, he said, “I am seeing a new world. The traditional way of thinking is changing. The younger generation thinks differently.” He emphasised that educating oneself about AI is now essential, calling it the foundation of the emerging knowledge economy.

Highlighting India’s linguistic and cultural depth, Pradhan noted that existing large language models may not even respond in classical languages such as Pali. “As we become bigger in size, we cannot be a consuming economy,” he said, underlining the need for India to develop its own AI capabilities and models.

AI, he added, gives India an opportunity to understand its multidimensional diversity and bridge gaps across regions and languages. “AI will help translate our diverse languages,” he said, positioning it as a tool for inclusion rather than exclusion.

In his message to students and young innovators, Pradhan said, “Instead of getting worried about AI, we need to learn about it. We need to create a big picture where we will have an AI-led knowledge centre.”

The IndiaAI Summit, being held in New Delhi from February 16 to 20, has brought together over 500 speakers across five days. Touted as a Global South-focused platform, the summit has repeatedly stressed the importance of building indigenous AI models, creating balanced regulation and preventing the excessive concentration of AI power in a few developed economies.