Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurated the ‘AI for Good Lab Workshop: From Strategy to Impact‘ at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 in New Delhi and emphasized India’s efforts to develop inclusive and accessible Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions.
This workshop, jointly organized by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), brought together policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, and technology experts to discuss ways to translate AI strategies into practical applications.
India Boosts AI and Digital Security
Scindia highlighted the progress made under the IndiaAI Mission, which includes the deployment of over 38,000 high-end GPUs to enhance access to computing resources and the addition of another 20,000 GPUs. He also spoke about the ‘AI Kosh’—a platform that provides access to datasets and AI models for sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, and education.
Emphasizing India’s philosophy of ‘Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya’ (welfare and happiness for all), Scindia stated that AI should improve people’s lives and expand opportunities, rather than deepening existing inequalities. He also stressed the need to ensure that the digital divide does not transform into an AI divide.
The Minister also underlined the role of digital technologies in tackling telecom fraud. According to the figures shared at the workshop, Sanchar Saathi has facilitated the disconnection of more than 7.14 crore fraudulent mobile connections, helped trace over 35 lakh lost handsets and prevented potential financial fraud worth more than ₹5,000 crore.
AI for Good Lab to Drive Skills and Innovation
This workshop introduced the ‘AI for Good Lab’ framework, which focuses on three key areas: AI readiness and policy, skills development, and public AI infrastructure. India is among the initiative’s 10 pilot countries, contributing its experience in shared computing infrastructure, open datasets and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to encourage international cooperation, particularly across the Global South.
The initiative aims to assist countries in strengthening AI governance, cultivating skilled talent and establishing AI sandbox environments to test and validate solutions before large-scale implementation.
The event was attended by Dr. Bilel Jamoussi, Deputy Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau; Amit Agarwal, Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and other relevant stakeholders. The key topics of discussion included formulating an implementation roadmap, identifying priority sectors for AI adoption, and fostering collaboration among governments, industry, academia, and startups to build a responsible, safe, and inclusive AI ecosystem.
(PIB)
