AI Set to Strengthen India’s Digital Public Infrastructure
New Delhi, February 17: The convergence of connectivity and computing power is poised to fundamentally reshape how citizens, businesses, and governments interact across India, according to Reliance Jio CTO Shyam Prabhakar Mardikar.Speaking at the AI Impact Summit, Mardikar said artificial intelligence will amplify India’s already robust digital public infrastructure, unlocking a new phase of inclusive and intelligent growth.
“India’s digital infrastructure is already a huge success story,” he said during the five day summit that began on Monday. “Now, imagine adding intelligence to it, making it aware, inclusive, and accessible to every citizen in every village.”
India Ahead in Population-Scale Digital Platforms
Mardikar highlighted that India is nearly a decade ahead of many developed economies in building population scale digital platforms. He cited the rapid adoption of digital payments, online banking, Aadhaar based identity systems, and paperless air travel through Digi Yatra as examples of India’s digital transformation.According to him, this strong foundation has positioned the country for the next leap, where artificial intelligence becomes embedded into existing nationwide systems.
He noted that integrating AI into large scale digital platforms could expand the government’s reach and significantly enhance decision making, public service delivery, and citizen outcomes.
From Voice to AI: The Next Phase of Telecom Evolution
The CTO traced the evolution of telecom networks from voice to messaging, then to data and video. He said the industry is now entering a far more intuitive and inclusive phase powered by artificial intelligence.“We are talking about every decade, when we started with voice, moved to messaging, moved to data, to video. Now we are getting into a level which is so inclusive, which is so intuitive, that there is a human AI harmony in the next generations to come,” Mardikar said.
He emphasized that this shift is not limited to network upgrades alone. It represents a broader transformation from basic computing to shared resources, and from simple recognition systems to intuitive, intelligent platforms.
Scalable Networks and Compute to Enable Responsive Governance
Mardikar said the combination of robust telecom networks and scalable computing power will enable more responsive governance and targeted welfare programs.As connectivity and computing power converge at scale, he added, the benefits will extend beyond technology infrastructure.
“When connectivity and computing power converge at scale, the real beneficiaries are all of us as citizens, as businesses, and as a nation,” he said.
With artificial intelligence layered onto India’s digital backbone, the next stage of growth is expected to be driven by deeper inclusion, smarter systems, and enhanced public service delivery across the country.
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