US sees India as 'extraordinary' AI partner, says Howard Lutnick

Chapel Hill (North Carolina), Sep 3 (IANS) The United States sees India as an “extraordinary opportunity” for artificial intelligence cooperation and is working with New Delhi to build an integrated AI technology stack, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said. “India is an extraordinary opportunity, and we are working together, as I said, to try to build that AI stack together,” Lutnick told reporters at the conclusion of the G20 Innovation Ministerial in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The remarks came after Lutnick and Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and science advisor to the President, announced that G20 members had reached consensus on a ministerial statement covering innovation, investment and economic growth. Lutnick said the AI stack offered countries opportunities to develop national champions in different segments while working with American frontier models and technology companies. “The idea is the frontier models are clearly American models,” he said. The United States, he added, was trying to have its AI stack integrate with individual countries so it could work with national systems and succeed globally. Kratsios said discussions at the ministerial had highlighted the growing importance of AI in scientific research. He said the technology would influence chemistry, mathematics, physics and materials science. “So something that we shared with all the G20 nations, I think is very applicable to India is this fundamental belief that we have to sort of push our science community to absorb AI into what they do to work,” he said. The two-day meeting concluded with agreement on the Carolina principles for emerging technology. Kratsios said the framework was designed to help governments support the discovery, development and deployment of new technologies. “The Carolina principles, which we all agree to here at the G20, reflect the common features of the innovation lifecycle across all emerging technologies,” he said. The principles call on governments to invest in foundational research, strengthen development and commercialisation pathways and encourage trusted adoption. They also recommend applying existing sector-specific rules where appropriate and reserving new regulations for novel issues. Lutnick described the consensus among all G20 members as the result of extensive negotiations. He said political considerations can complicate efforts to reach agreement in international forums. “When you bring global leaders together, there’s always lots of politics,” he said. “People sometimes like to stay out of consensus to make a point as opposed to the point of the consensus.” Lutnick said the United States wants its AI technology to be used globally, with individual countries deciding whether to deploy frontier or open-weight models. Kratsios said the Trump administration’s American AI Exports Program was intended to make US chips, models and applications available to partners and allies. “We have the very best chips, we have the very best models, we have the very best applications, and we wanna make those available to all of our partners, friends, and allies all around the world,” he said. India is a member of the G20, which brings together major advanced and emerging economies. The grouping operates through annual summits, ministerial meetings and working groups covering economic, technological and development issues. India and the United States have expanded cooperation in recent years across artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technology, telecommunications and scientific research. Technology has become a major pillar of the broader strategic partnership between the two countries. --IANS lkj/sd/