Key takeaways
- Leander Paes emphasizes the fusion of AI and human intelligence for India's development.
- He urges global investors to leverage India's talent for innovation and design.
- Paes highlights the importance of emotional intelligence alongside AI advancements.
- His Olympic academy in Odisha aims to empower young athletes through AI and sports science.
- Focus on grassroots talent development is crucial for job creation and building livelihoods.
Tennis legend Leander Paes believes India’s rise as a first-world nation will depend on how effectively it combines technology, artificial intelligence, and human intelligence.
Speaking at Cypher 2025, India’s largest AI conference organised by AIM from September 17-19, Paes urged global businesses to invest in India’s talent. “Their money, our intelligence, we design in India. We don’t design outside India. Make in India. Make in Bharat. Make it here.”
Paes stressed that India’s strength lies in its people’s intellect and adaptability. He framed AI as both a global leveller and a uniquely Indian opportunity. “AI does not have emotions. It only processes the data we feed it. What it forces us humans to do is grow our emotional quotient. The Indian human quotient is very high, we must retain and enhance it,” he said.
He is putting this vision into practice through his new Olympic academy in Odisha, which blends AI, sports science, and education to empower young athletes. The project currently impacts 1.2 lakh people and aims to reach 250 million children over 20 years, he said.
AI for Athletics
At the academy’s core is the PACE system, or Physical Athletic Education System, an evolution of the sports science pioneered by Paes’s father. It now uses AI-driven modelling to improve performance. “We’ve created the perfect athlete with AI,” Paes said, explaining how technology can design an ideal performance model.
But he cautioned that true effectiveness lies in customisation. Training must adjust for whether someone is left- or right-brain dominant, their genetics, and even their region—Punjab, Bengal, Gujarat, or Tamil Nadu. Unlike medal-chasing programs, his focus is grassroots. “The real talent is in grassroots India. If we can marry sports science, education, and AI there, we don’t just make champions, we build livelihoods. That’s job creation at scale,” he said.
Technology as a Career Tool
Paes noted that technology has long shaped his own journey. Rivals once used videography and data to analyse his weaknesses. He responded by mapping his own patterns and changing tactics mid-match. “Tech was mapping me, so I used it to outthink the map. That’s adaptability, and that’s what we Indians are great at,” he said. Partnerships, he added, will be key to scaling this adaptability.
Linking Tech with Life
He also connected India’s tech future with quality of life. Pointing to a corporate culture of nonstop emails and constant productivity, he warned against burnout. “AI should free us to improve life, our sleep, our food, our time, our movement. It should enhance quality, not trap us in a loop,” he said.
At 52, Paes said his mission is no longer medals but nation-building. “The Tiranga runs in my veins. My dream is that young Indians won’t know me as the guy who won 18 Slams, but as the one who gave them an education, a job, and a skill to put food on the table. That’s my gold medal now.”
