AI for Viksit Bharat: Accelerated Economic Growth
India aims to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) as a key driver to achieve rapid economic growth, aligning with the vision of 'Viksit Bharat'. This is outlined in a roadmap released by NITI Aayog and the Niti Frontier Tech Hub.
Economic Growth Potential
- AI adoption is projected to bridge nearly half of the growth gap needed to elevate India's GDP from $6.6 trillion to $8.3 trillion by 2035.
- To achieve an aspirational 8% growth trajectory, productivity and innovation must be unlocked at scale.
Sector-Specific AI Deployment
NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam highlights AI's role in achieving an 8% plus growth rate, emphasizing sector-specific deployment in industries like banking and manufacturing.
- Two major growth unlocks:
- Accelerating AI adoption across industries (30–35% growth step-up).
- Transforming R&D with generative AI (20–30% contribution).
Sectoral Impact
- Banking and Financial Services:
- AI can enable hyper-personalized customer experiences and advanced fraud detection.
- Potential to unlock $50–55 billion in additional value by 2035.
- Manufacturing:
- AI can drive productivity gains, predictive maintenance, and intelligent product design.
- Could add $85–100 billion in value.
Frontier Innovation
- Pharmaceuticals:
- AI could reduce drug discovery costs by up to 30% and shorten timelines by as much as 80%.
- Automotive:
- Roadmap envisages 18–20 million software-assisted vehicles by 2035, supported by smart corridors.
- Potential export gains and import substitution of $20–25 billion.
Conclusion
The report concludes that India's mission for sustained 8%+ growth should focus on bold AI integration and innovation, supported by robust infrastructure, responsible governance, and industry-academia collaboration.
