Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised India’s readiness to scale artificial intelligence for a population of 1.4 billion, citing the country’s strong digital public infrastructure during his keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. He said platforms such as Aadhaar, UPI and digital health systems provide a foundation for large-scale AI adoption and inclusive technological growth.
Reflecting on the rapid pace of AI development, Sunak noted that while earlier technologies took decades to reach mass adoption, modern AI tools have spread globally within months. He stressed the importance of balancing innovation with safety and responsible governance, adding that AI should complement human capabilities rather than replace human experience. He also highlighted India’s growing startup ecosystem and emerging AI companies as evidence that the global race in AI is increasingly about widespread adoption and real-world use cases.
During the session, Surya Ganguli, Professor of AI, Neuroscience and Physics at Stanford University, outlined key scientific challenges shaping the next phase of AI advancement. He identified three major frontiers — improving data efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and integrating insights from neuroscience with machine intelligence — to create systems that are more capable and sustainable.
Ganguli pointed out that the human brain operates with far greater efficiency than current AI systems, using about 20 watts of energy compared to the much higher power demands of modern computing infrastructure. He suggested that future innovations, including neuromorphic and quantum-inspired computing, could significantly narrow this gap and enable new applications in healthcare and scientific research.
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The combined perspectives highlighted both the policy and scientific dimensions of AI’s evolution, underscoring the need for responsible deployment, global cooperation and continued research to unlock the technology’s full societal benefits.
