Chandrasekaran: Need for Sovereign AI Systems to Prevent Digital Colonialism

Tata group chairman N Chandrasekaran said on Friday that India must develop sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) systems to avoid the risks associated with digital colonialism. 

"If we do not develop sovereign AI capabilities, we face the serious risk of having all of our activities, languages, and cultures processed by AI systems that do not understand India. It will take it to a different place, a form of digital colonialism that we must avoid," he said at Mumbai Tech Week 2025. 

According to Chandrasekaran, the Tata Group is developing AI projects such as AI agents, AI robotics and infrastructure, virtual workers, and talent development capabilities through an AI institute.

He explained that the conglomerate's priorities included artificial intelligence, sustainability and new energy, as well as geopolitical and supply chain resilience.

"In addition to developing all of this sovereign AI and the India AI stack, we have a unique opportunity to create another very powerful sector, similar in scale to the Indian IT services sector, based solely on AI. That is the potential," he stated.

Chandrasekaran explained that sovereign capabilities can be developed by achieving success on four pillars: technological, data, talent, and governance sovereignty, emphasizing the need for independence in AI development.

"We build the capabilities that are required, put in place the infrastructure that is required and we develop the knowledge that is required so that we can be totally independent," he said.

To be a frontrunner in the global AI race, he emphasized the importance of developing multiple layers, including foundational, capability, application, and governance layers.

The capability layer would be built using AI models and developer toolkits, while the foundational layer would require the establishment of an India AI stack. Meanwhile, the application layer can drive AI solutions, and the governance layer can connect all of these components.

Despite widespread concerns about job losses caused by AI, he explained that Generative AI will be a net job creator for India.