Govt has big focus on AI skilling, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

Speaking at the inauguration of the pre-event ceremony of AI Impact Summit 2026, organised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in the national capital, Union Minister said, "We are also looking at a big focus on skilling, as you would have noticed today. You might have noticed that the AI Data Labs are located in diverse locations, not the typical Bengaluru or Bombay (Mumbai) kind of locations, but rather in various locations. That's by design, that's not accidental. That shows our approach to inclusivity at inclusive growth, making sure that the technology is democratised."

Talking about the democratization efforts of the government in the AI sector, the Union Minister added that the focus is on the human-centric and inclusive growth of AI.

"We are focusing on human-centric, inclusive growth and making technology accessible to all. Our focus will be on establishing a governance framework that is acceptable to a significant portion of the world. India has always believed in developing technologies that are accessible to the world, such as our UPI... We must be able to solve the population-scale problems using technology," he added.

The minister also noted a shift in strategy in the development of AI models, with more emphasis on domain-specific solutions. "Our selection of partners for developing models... is adopting the latest thought process in the technical world. The technical world guides us that models which are focused on solving the problems in a particular sector... will be more effective, they will have more utility."

While large-scale models will continue to be developed by institutions like IIT Bombay, the mission is also promoting smaller, specialised models. "We will also require 1,000 small models which basically solve specific problems," the minister said, citing examples in healthcare and material sciences relevant to India's Atmanirbhar Bharat mission. (ANI)