Aadhaar’s role in tackling digital scams
Deepfake scams have become a global issue, but India faces a distinctive challenge in the form of digital arrests, where victims are deceived into believing they have been virtually detained by authorities.
“India is the only country which has a scam called digital arrest. I don’t think any other country has digital arrest as a scam category,” Nilekani pointed out.
He suggested that Aadhaar authentication, with its liveness checks, could help verify real individuals and counter fraud.
“In some sense, Aadhaar solves the issue. If you want to show someone is a live person, you can Aadhaar authenticate him,” he said.
DPDP Act as a key AI regulator
With artificial intelligence models relying on vast amounts of data for effectiveness, concerns around data privacy are mounting. Nilekani noted that India’s DPDP Act provides a robust regulatory framework to govern AI-driven data usage.
“People will be rightfully concerned if their data is being used. Fortunately, we have a very good DPDP Act. That, I think, will also govern AI usage,” he said.
The changing AI landscape and India’s role
Discussing advancements in AI, Nilekani cited the rapid progress made by DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup that has recently gained global attention.
“What DeepSeek has done is show that you don’t need billions of dollars to create a reasonably good large language model. That’s a big breakthrough,” he observed.
He also pointed how the cost barrier for building AI models has lowered significantly. “The government is focused on the India AI Mission, and I think we will see some very impactful models coming from India in the next year,” Nilekani said.
On whether India should invest in foundational AI models, he stated, “It’s really all about the price point. Would I spend a billion dollars to build a large language model (LLM)? No. But if I can deliver an LLM in $50 million, sure. The technology is evolving so rapidly that costs are dropping, and efficiency is improving.”
AI for mass application
Nilekani expressed optimism that India could lead in applying AI at scale, particularly in crucial sectors such as education and agriculture.
“What I want to see is the application of AI at the population scale. For instance, in sectors such as education and agriculture,” he said, emphasising AI’s potential to drive large-scale societal transformation.
