NEW DELHI: Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday launched the World Bank Group’s “World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence” at an event organised by the IndiaAI Mission and MeitY.
The study found that AI can widen access to expertise, raise productivity, and improve the delivery of services in developing economies. AI-enabled tools are already being deployed in medical screening, agricultural decision-making and education, extending scarce expertise to larger sections of the population.The report further emphasises that these gains rest on strong foundations, including reliable electricity and connectivity, computing infrastructure, quality data, skills, education systems and capable institutions.
“AI is changing the lives of ordinary people. In Baramati, sugarcane yields rose by 40 per cent with 30 per cent less water and fertiliser, for farmers who have never used a computer simply through voice on a phone,” said Vaishnaw.
The Minister added that in healthcare, tuberculosis detection has increased by 35 per cent, demonstrating how AI applications can transform lives across the Global South.
He noted that the Baramati initiative draws on satellite, IoT, and weather data while lowering labour costs, alongside Gujarat’s AgriStack serving 5 lakh farmers and the Sarlaben AI livestock platform benefiting 3 crore cattle.Through the IndiaAI Mission, the government is establishing a comprehensive AI ecosystem across seven pillars, including compute capacity, the IndiaAI Innovation Centre for foundation models, dataset platforms, startup financing, and safe AI.
The Safe & Trusted AI pillar supports indigenous tools for responsible AI deployment, focusing on bias mitigation, algorithm auditing, explainable AI, privacy-preserving frameworks, deepfake detection, and institutional safety governance.
“One of the key messages of the World Development Report is not about creating artificial intelligence but deploying it. India has a unique opportunity to bring together institutions, markets and AI to transform millions of lives,” said Somik Lall, director of strategy, development economics at World Bank GroupWorld Bank Chief Economist Michael Kremer highlighted India’s AI-based monsoon forecasting model, tested across multiple open-access models and delivered via text and voice, noting that countries like Ethiopia are now adopting India’s approach.
“India is already approaching the path of AI for development by adapting tools to local contexts with the government playing the role of an enabler, user and regulator of this new technology,” said Gaurav Nayyar, director, World Development Report 2026.
“The World Development Report aligns closely with India’s AI roadmap compute, data and models and sets out a sensible approach to regulation: rely on existing laws and voluntary compliance, and revisit regulation as the technology evolves,” said S Krishnan, secretary at MeitY.
Krishnan added that work is under way on an AI Talent Mission to build human capabilities, positioning India’s high AI skill penetration to support wider enterprise adoption and Global South development goals.
