“AI means America-India,” says Indian PM Narendra Modi

In an attempt to strengthen India’s ties with global technology leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a roundtable discussion with top American tech CEOs during his visit to New York. 

Modi emphasised how for him AI means ‘America-India’ and said, “ That’s the power we want to strengthen. India has democratised the use of technology, thereby bridging the divides. India is focusing on the ethical use of AI.”

The primary focus of the meeting was collaboration in key emerging technologies like AI developments, semiconductors, quantum computing, and biotechnology. PM Modi underscored India’s ambition to become a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing, focusing on the government’s commitment to bolstering the tech industry. He laid emphasis on the ‘AI for All’ initiative that aims to promote the responsible and ethical use of AI in India, which aligns with the broader global discussions on AI governance.

Following the meeting, PM Modi shared on X, “Had a fruitful round table with tech CEOs in New York, discussing aspects relating to technology, innovation and more. Also highlighted the strides made by India in this field. I am glad to see immense optimism towards India.”

Tech CEO’s Meet

The meeting was held at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel. It included participants from some of the most influential figures in the tech world like Sundar Pichai (Google), Arvind Krishna (IBM), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe), Jensen Huang (NVIDIA), Lisa Su (AMD), Enrique Lores (HP), Noubar Afeyan (Moderna) and Hans Vestberg (Verizon), among others. Additionally, CEOs from Accenture, GlobalFoundries, Biogen and Eli Lilly also contributed to the discussions.

The CEOs expressed keen interest in investing in India, particularly in its booming startup ecosystem and praised the country’s innovation friendly policies. They discussed potential collaboration opportunities to co develop, co design, and co produce AI based technologies, further strengthening India’s position as a global technology hub.