Baramati, Maharashtra, December 28 (ANI): Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani on Sunday made a strong case for India to build its own sovereign artificial intelligence capabilities, warning that unchecked dependence on foreign technologies could pose serious economic and strategic risks. He stressed that artificial intelligence has emerged as the defining force of the fourth industrial revolution.
“Because growth without sovereignty creates dependence. And progress without control creates risk. While job creation is vital, a nation of 1.4 billion people cannot afford to place its jobs, data, culture, and collective intelligence at the mercy of foreign algorithms and foreign balance sheets,” Adani said while addressing students, researchers, and policymakers after inaugurating the Sharadchandra Pawar Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence at Vidya Pratishthan in Baramati, in Pune district.
The AI center, funded by the Adani Group, has been established under Vidya Pratishthan, the educational institution governed by the Pawar family. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar were present at the inauguration.
The Adani Group also signed a memorandum of understanding with Vidya Pratishthan to deepen collaboration in artificial intelligence research, engineering, and execution.
Setting the tone for his address, Adani reflected on the transformative nature of technology across history, remarking that while the seeds of yesterday were sown in the earth, the seeds of tomorrow will be sown in the algorithm. He said human progress has never been linear but has advanced through powerful leaps driven by technological revolutions.
“Human progress does not move in a straight line. It advances in leaps. Each leap is propelled by a technological revolution that first unsettles society and then rebuilds it at a far higher level of capability,” he said, tracing the journey from steam and mechanization to electrification, digital computing, and now artificial intelligence.
Calling AI the defining force of the fourth industrial revolution, Adani acknowledged the anxiety that accompanies major technological transitions. He said history shows that every such shift brings extraordinary opportunity as well as profound anxiety, including fears of displacement, irrelevance, and surrendering control to systems not yet fully understood.
“These fears are not a sign of weakness. They are deeply human,” he said, adding that such concerns must be addressed responsibly.
Drawing on historical evidence, Adani argued that technology has consistently expanded employment rather than destroying it. He said new technologies initially disrupt roles but eventually expand possibilities, citing global examples from previous industrial revolutions.
He noted that the first industrial revolution increased employment in Britain more than fivefold, while the second created mass manufacturing and a new middle class. The digital revolution, he said, did not eliminate work but accelerated innovation and generated software, services, platforms, and entrepreneurship that now employ hundreds of millions worldwide.
Turning to India’s experience, Adani said the mobile revolution unleashed unprecedented economic energy at the grassroots level. He said smartphones and low-cost data did not destroy jobs but multiplied them on a massive scale by enabling ordinary Indians to participate in the economy.
Citing data, Adani said India added more than 230 million non-farm jobs between 1991 and 2024, most of them after the expansion of digital infrastructure. These opportunities, he said, emerged when technological capability reached the common citizen.
He said artificial intelligence now represents the next and far more powerful leap, adding that while mobile technology gave India greater access, AI will give the country greater capability.
Describing an AI-enabled future, Adani said artificial intelligence would embed intelligence, decision-making, and productivity across every sector. He said that as 1.4 billion Indians begin to carry AI-powered intelligence in their hands, progress will no longer be linear but will compound and accelerate.
He outlined how AI could transform daily life, from farmers using AI to optimize crops and manage risks in real time to homemakers in smaller towns building global microbrands.
However, Adani cautioned that AI is a “double-edged knife” and must be approached with care. He said India must treat artificial intelligence as a strategic national capability built, governed, and aligned with national interests.
The Sharadchandra Pawar Centre of Excellence in AI, he said, comes at a moment of immense national significance as India seeks to position itself at the forefront of the global AI revolution. “The AI future is not something that will automatically arrive in India. It is something our nation must build,” he said.
Adani also outlined the group’s investments in AI infrastructure, including data centers and green energy, describing them as “factories of intelligence” essential for sovereignty, productivity, and national security.
About The Author
