India placed third in global AI vibrancy index after US, China: Report

India placed third after the US and China in AI vibrancy index, scoring strongly on R&D and talent while advancing data governance and policy frameworks

India ranks third globally in the Stanford Institute for Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence (HAI) list when it comes to global AI vibrancy, just after the US and China, according to a report.

 

The report by Hung Tran, a senior fellow at the Policy Centre for the New South, gives a weighted index score based on research and development (R&D), responsible AI, economy, talent, policy and governance, public opinion and infrastructure.

 

India’s total weighted index score is 21.59, significantly below that of China (36.95) and the US (78.6), but higher than countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Israel. Asia’s third-largest economy excelled in AI R&D and stood out for its AI talent, where it came in second after Singapore.

 

 

“It (India) has leveraged its strength in the IT services sector, in which the major corporate players have supported R&D efforts and have built data centres to promote the use of indigenous data. In particular, India has implemented policies to secure its sovereignty throughout the AI supply chain, including R&D, design, software and hardware development, and especially data,” the report said.

 

The report noted that India has been active in promoting open, interoperable and comprehensive domestic datasets, which are valuable for specific applications when it comes to regulatory guardrails. For example, MeitY launched AIKosha last year, which is a national depository of curated datasets and foundation models for use by start-ups and researchers.

 

“In short, India is an example of a balanced approach in protecting data privacy and regulating cross-border transfers, while developing interoperable and comprehensive domestic datasets, supporting AI-powered applications in various areas.”