India's AI Independence: A Vision for a Digital Future

India must take bold steps to develop its own foundational AI technologies to prevent becoming a 'digital colony', reliant on foreign systems, declared Vivek Raghavan, co-founder of Sarvam AI, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

Raghavan argued that AI is a core technology that will significantly influence all aspects of human life. He urged that India has a mandate, rather than an option, to cultivate this technology from the ground up, underlining the strategic importance of AI sovereignty over temporary technical advantages.

With its diverse linguistic and cultural landscape, coupled with demand from a large populace and a knack for cost-effective innovation, India is well-positioned to create sovereign AI solutions. Sarvam AI is at the forefront of this movement, developing an independent AI platform, including smart devices and multilingual models optimized for Indian languages.