Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday explained what makes India special in case of Artificial Intelligence(AI) and how the country can win the AI war. Using a simple comparison, Rahul Gandhi explained why India’s data matters so much. “Everybody talks about AI, but talking about AI is like talking about the internal combustion engine without talking about petrol,” he said. “The petrol for AI is data.”
He repeated the point for emphasis, “If you have AI and you don’t have data, you have nothing.” According to him, only two countries in the world have the biggest pools of data, India and China, because of their massive populations.
Why India’s data matters more
Rahul Gandhi argued that India may have an advantage over China when it comes to data quality. He said India allows more freedom and gives people space to act in dynamic and creative ways. “We allow more freedom. We allow our people to do more dynamic things too. We have in fact more interesting data.” This diversity and openness, he suggested, can help India build stronger and more meaningful AI systems if used wisely.
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While warning that AI could replace large numbers of software engineers, Gandhi also stated that India’s people and data are its biggest assets. The challenge, he said, is whether the country understands this shift in time and uses its strengths to shape the future, instead of being overwhelmed by it.
AI’s impact on software jobs
He also gave a strong warning in the Lok Sabha, saying Artificial Intelligence could seriously disrupt India’s IT sector and threaten the future of software engineering as a profession.
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He said AI will have “many, many consequences” and one of the biggest impacts will be on software engineers. “Lots of our software engineers are going to be replaced by AI,” adding that companies which have long been at the centre of India’s technology growth will face major challenges.
According to him, the idea of becoming a software engineer, a dream for millions of Indian families, is now under threat. As AI tools become more powerful, traditional IT services and roles may no longer remain safe.
A turbulent and dangerous world
Rahul Gandhi stated the current global phase as unstable and risky. “We are moving into a turbulent world, a dangerous world,” he told the Lower House. He said that in such times, the most important question any nation must ask is, what are its real strengths?
Before responding to global challenges, he added that India must clearly understand what it does best and what gives it an edge over others. “India’s biggest strength: its people.”
Rahul Gandhi said India’s central strength lies in its people. With a population of around 1.4 billion, he described Indians as “brilliant, energetic, dynamic” and capable of competing with anyone in the world.
He stressed that in the 21st century, people do more than just work, they create data. Every digital action generates information, and that data has become a powerful resource. |
