Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the convergence of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents the “next frontier of inclusive development,” highlighting India’s model as a template for the Global South.
Speaking to ANI, the Prime Minister underlined that India’s digital transformation was guided by principles centred on public good and inclusion rather than proprietary control.
“India’s Digital Public Infrastructure journey offers crucial and practical lessons for the Global South. The convergence of DPI and AI is the next frontier of inclusive development. Our success with Aadhaar, UPI and other digital public goods was not accidental. It stemmed from a few replicable principles,” the Prime Minister said.
He explained that India’s digital architecture was built as a shared public resource. “First, we built digital infrastructure as a public good, not a proprietary platform. This open and interoperable architecture allowed innovation to flourish on top of a common base layer. Second, we designed for scale and inclusion from day one. Our systems work for 1.4 billion people, irrespective of their socio-economic status, literacy level, region or language,” he said.
Emphasising AI’s transformative potential when layered over DPI, he added, “AI can improve welfare targeting, strengthen fraud detection, enable predictive maintenance of infrastructure, support urban planning, and enhance transparency in public systems. We understand the importance of robust digital infrastructure, strong data privacy protections, thoughtful regulatory frameworks and AI literacy across society,” he noted.
“Technology must serve every citizen, regardless of geography, gender or income. The goal is not AI adoption for its own sake. It is AI that genuinely empowers citizens and accelerates India’s journey toward becoming a developed nation by 2047, and offers a scalable model for the Global South,” he added.
India’s DPI ecosystem includes Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric ID programme; Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which processed over 1,388 crore transactions in June 2024; and DigiLocker, used by more than 30 crore users with 675 crore issued documents. Through initiatives such as India Stack Global and the Global DPI Repository launched during India’s G20 presidency in 2023, India is also extending its digital public infrastructure expertise to partner nations across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Source: Mid-day
