Prime Minister Narendra Modi also launched the Rs. 1 Lakh Crore Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Scheme Fund.
The announcement was made at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave 2025
Photo Credit: X/@narendramodi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, addressed the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. During the address, he highlighted the country's role in shaping a global framework for what artificial intelligence (AI) should be and how it should function. He gave a call for “ethical and human-centric AI,” and mentioned that the lawmakers are already working to create a governance policy regarding the same. Additionally, PM Modi also revealed that in February 2026, India will host the Global AI Summit.
Addressing the attendees during the ESTIC 2025, PM Modi spoke about the government's focus on “ease of doing research” to enable and develop a modern ecosystem of innovation. To this end, he launched the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme Fund with a corpus of Rs. 1 lakh crore. The scheme aims to promote a private sector-driven R&D ecosystem in India.
PM Modi also shared his vision of AI technology, hailing its widespread application across retail, logistics, customer service, and education. He emphasised the need to understand the developing technology's transformative power and highlighted the need to ensure that it is used in an ethical and inclusive manner.
The Prime Minister also mentioned that the government is working on the AI Governance Framework, which will shape the general guidelines around the technology and will outline its opportunities and limitations. The policy is expected to arrive next year. “India is shaping a global framework for ethical and human-centric AI,” he added.
The conversation around AI is intensifying in the country, with Google recently announcing an investment of $15 billion (roughly Rs. 1.3 lakh crore) to set up an AI-focused data centre in Andhra Pradesh's port city, Visakhapatnam. A similar commitment has been made by ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. Furthering the conversations around AI, PM Modi announced that India will host the Global AI Summit in February 2026. The focus of the summit will be on accelerating efforts towards inclusive, ethical, and human-centric AI.
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