CyberMedia Awards Night 2026: India Must Build Beyond AI Adoption

India has built the digital foundation to emerge as a significant player in the artificial intelligence era, but sustaining that momentum will require greater investment in innovation, semiconductor capabilities, and computing infrastructure, according to Prabhu Ram, vice president, Industry Research Group, CyberMedia Research (CMR). Delivering the opening keynote at CyberMedia Awards Night 2026, Prabhu Ram said India's next phase of AI growth will depend less on adopting AI tools and more on building the technologies and infrastructure that power them. He argued that the country's long-term competitiveness will be shaped by its ability to strengthen research, expand compute capacity, and participate across the AI technology stack rather than remaining primarily a consumer of global AI platforms. India's Digital Foundation Has Created A Window For AI Leadership According to Ram, India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), anchored by Aadhaar, Jan Dhan, and Jio, has created a digital ecosystem capable of supporting AI applications at population scale. Combined with one of the world's largest digitally connected populations, the foundation offers India an opportunity to accelerate AI adoption across sectors. He also highlighted indicators that point to a maturing innovation ecosystem. India's global patent ranking has improved over the past decade, while AI talent migration has slowed, suggesting that more researchers and engineers are choosing to build within the country. These developments, he said, position India to play a larger role in the global AI ecosystem. However, digital scale alone will not guarantee leadership. AI Is Moving Beyond Software Into The Physical World He mentioned AI is evolving along two parallel tracks. The first is physical AI, where intelligence is embedded into robotics, industrial automation, and autonomous systems. Citing examples from advanced manufacturing, he described production environments where robots perform assembly tasks at scale with high efficiency and minimal defects, illustrating how AI is beginning to reshape industrial operations. He said this shift could also create opportunities for India in areas such as AI model development and data annotation, where the country's technology talent base can contribute to the broader AI value chain. The second track is personal or cognitive AI. Unlike today's chatbot-driven interactions, these systems are expected to function as context-aware assistants capable of understanding conversations, interpreting surroundings, and supporting users through wearable and ambient computing devices. Innovation, Silicon, And Compute Will Define The Next Phase He explained that India's technology ambitions must now extend beyond its traditional strengths in information technology services. He identified three priorities that will determine whether India can emerge as a global AI leader: innovation, silicon, and compute. Innovation, he said, will require stronger research capabilities and intellectual property creation. 'Silicon' reflects India's long-term semiconductor ambitions, while 'compute' refers to the infrastructure needed to train and deploy increasingly sophisticated AI models. Together, these capabilities would allow India to participate across the AI ecosystem instead of remaining concentrated in software services. Balancing AI Ambition With Responsible Execution While expressing optimism about AI's potential, Ram cautioned against viewing AI through either unchecked enthusiasm or excessive scepticism. He noted that organisations must balance the pace of AI adoption with responsible execution, ensuring investments are backed by learning, capability building, and long-term planning. Concluding his address, Ram said the central question is no longer whether AI will transform industries, but whether India intends to lead that transformation. "The real debate is no longer whether AI will transform industries. Instead, the defining question for India is where it intends to lead." As AI becomes the next major computing platform, the answer, he suggested, will depend on whether India can convert its digital strengths into sustained investments in innovation, semiconductor capabilities, and compute infrastructure.