'Make In India' Must Now Evolve Into 'Make AI In India': AAP MP In Parliament

India must strengthen its position in the global Artificial Intelligence (AI) race, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha said in Parliament on Tuesday. He also said that the Centre's "Make in India" must now evolve into "Make AI in India".

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Mr Chadha said the US and China have made major advances in AI. "The US has ChatGPT, Gemini, Anthropic, and Grok, while China has DeepSeek - an AI model with the highest capability and the lowest production cost. But where does India stand in this AI era? Is India falling behind?" he said.

The AAP leader said that between 2010 and 2022, the US accounted for 60% of the world's AI patents, China secured 20%, while India lagged behind with just half of China's share, despite being the world's fifth-largest economy. 

"It is true that the US and China have a four to five-year head start in AI. But that is because they have invested in research, academia, and AI development," he said.

Mr Chadha also highlighted India's strong talent pool, saying Indians make up 15% of the global AI workforce, with approximately 4.5 lakh Indian AI professionals working overseas.

"India ranks third in the world in AI skill penetration. This means India has talent, hardworking individuals, brainpower, a growing digital economy, and over 90 crore internet users."

Yet, India remains an AI consumer, he said. 

Referring to OpenAI founder Sam Altman, Mr Chadha said, "When OpenAI's founder was asked about India's AI potential, he dismissed it, saying that India's AI potential is entirely hopeless - meaning disappointing. The time has come for us to respond and ensure that India becomes an AI producer, not just an AI consumer."

Mr Chadha proposed concrete steps to help achieve the goal:

• Indigenous AI Chips: "We must develop and manufacture our own AI chips in India."
• AI Infrastructure Fund: "A dedicated AI infrastructure fund must be set up."
• Research Grants & Tax Breaks: "AI research grants should be provided, and AI-focused tax breaks must be introduced."
• Prevent Talent Migration: "We must stop the brain drain of top-tier Indian AI talent and ensure they work in India."
• Access to Data: "Indigenous AI startups must be given access to large volumes of existing data, which currently only companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google possess."
• Increased Financial Investment: "The US spends 3.5% of its GDP on AI research, China spends 2.5%, while India spends only 0.7%. This must be increased."

"In the future, the nation that dominates AI will lead the world and become a global guru. Therefore, alongside 'Make in India,' India must also move forward with 'Make AI in India'," he said.