Trust in AI will be 'won or lost' in public sector, says Rishi Sunak
At the India AI Impact Summit, the former British PM said while Silicon Valley may dominate AI model development, countries like India could lead in widespread adoption
 "Trust in AI will be 'won or lost' in public sector, says Rishi Sunak")
Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday said that trust in artificial intelligence (AI) will be “won or lost” in the public sector, arguing that citizens will embrace the technology only when they see substantial improvements in everyday government services.
Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Sunak said, “It is by showing the world that this technology is safe that we’ll be able to fully reap the benefits of it. And the public sector is where trust in AI will really be won or lost when people see faster services, better healthcare, simpler interactions with government.”
He said AI could have “twice the impact of the Industrial Revolution in just half the time”, but stressed that public confidence would determine the scale and speed of adoption.
Rishi Sunak on India's AI advantage
Sunak cited the example of India's digital public infrastructure on how AI can be deployed at scale. He highlighted the role of Aadhaar, UPI and Ayushman Bharat health accounts in creating what he described as “universal, digitally verified foundations” capable of reaching 1.4 billion people.
“The AI debate is moving from technology to strategy, from what these tools can do to what countries choose to do with them,” he said.
Sunak suggested that while Silicon Valley may dominate AI model development, countries like India could lead in widespread, everyday adoption.
“History teaches us that leadership in technology does not only depend on who invents it, but on how effectively it is deployed and adopted in your country,” he said.
Sunak said international forums such as the India AI Impact Summit are necessary to regularly assess AI’s trajectory and coordinate approaches to safety and governance.
Global race beyond innovation
Sunak argued that the real global race in AI is not merely about inventing advanced models, but about adoption across the economy and society. “It will be those countries and those companies that adopt, adopt, adopt, who will be the biggest winners,” he said.
The former British PM said that AI can help address shortages in health workers and teachers globally. “If we are to feed a global population of 10 billion people by 2050, food production must increase by 70 per cent,” he said.
He also referred to AI-driven solutions in maternal healthcare, agriculture and personalised learning as examples of how public-facing applications can directly improve lives.