How AI can become India’s next big nation-building force

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to contribute $550 billion to India’s five priority sectors—agriculture, education, energy, healthcare and manufacturing—by 2035 at a nominal level. At least, that is what PwC India’s flagship report, ‘AI Edge for Viksit Bharat’, suggests. The report was released recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

India is positioned as a potential global benchmark for how emerging economies can deploy artificial intelligence in a manner that is both transformative and equitable.

Experts believe AI is more than just a technological leap; it is a nation-building force. It gives a country like India the power to reimagine growth not merely in GDP terms, but through a people-first lens. By investing in infrastructure, talent and governance, India can ensure that innovation and equitable development move hand in hand. This is how the country can shape a Viksit Bharat that leads the world.

PwC’s analysis shows that AI can act as a powerful driver of sectoral growth, ranging from boosting crop productivity and reducing agricultural waste to improving school governance, cutting power theft, accelerating disease detection and enhancing manufacturing quality. Real-world pilots already demonstrate this potential: AI-enabled crop advisories have delivered double-digit efficiency gains, smart metering has flagged power theft cases with high accuracy, and AI-driven tuberculosis detection has significantly improved notification rates. Scaling such applications, even at modest levels, could save hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

However, it is important to remember that transformative technologies like AI bring both disruption and opportunity. While AI promises significant productivity gains and improved outcomes, this power also comes with greater responsibility. While human mistakes are often forgiven, AI systems must be held to a higher standard. By reducing bureaucracy through AI, public servants can be freed to focus on more impactful work, advancing the inclusive growth vision outlined in ‘AI Edge for Viksit Bharat’.

It is pertinent to note that PwC’s recently introduced AI Edge framework defines five tangible outcomes India should expect from AI deployed at scale: operational excellence, sustainability, good governance, resilience, and financial discipline. These outcomes shift the global AI conversation from efficiency alone to a broader focus on transparency, environmental stewardship, system reliability and inclusive value creation across public and private ecosystems.

India’s AI journey, therefore, is not about catching up. It is about setting a new benchmark. By aligning technology with human development, India can demonstrate how emerging economies can grow responsibly and inclusively on a global scale.

As the country advances towards its Viksit Bharat vision, India stands at a decisive moment—one where responsible, systemic and inclusive AI can reshape national growth trajectories. With deep collaboration between government, industry, academia and civil society, India can build an AI ecosystem that learns continuously, scales responsibly and ensures that every community benefits from this technological shift, driving sustainable and equitable national progress.