Centre to roll out India AI Mission 2.0 with bigger funding: Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi: Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday announced that the Central government was planning to roll out the second edition of India's AI Mission soon. 

“We will conclude the first phase of the AI Mission in another five to six months, after which we should move to AI Mission 2.0,” he told reporters here.

He added that stakeholder consultations for AI Mission 2.0 would begin soon, and that the new edition would feature significantly larger fiscal support.

In March 2024, the Union Cabinet approved the India AI Mission with a budgetary outlay of Rs 10,371.92 crore over five years to strengthen computing infrastructure, promote skilling, and develop indigenous AI models.

"Since its launch, we already have investments worth about $70 billion in the execution phase,” said Vaishnaw on Friday.

Emphasising India’s focus on talent development, he noted that the country’s IT industry was transitioning from traditional software services to AI-driven solutions. 

He added that IT companies are re-skilling their workforce, re-engaging with clients, and exploring newer market opportunities.

Vaishnaw also said that more than 5 lakh students had already acquired AI skills under the initiative.

“We will provide AI infrastructure and course curricula in 500 universities, enabling students to receive better training and seize AI-related opportunities,” he said.

He also announced that an India AI Impact Summit would be held in Delhi on February 19-20.

Its central objective would be to advance the democratisation of technology, particularly AI, to ensure that its benefits reach a wide cross-section of society, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan. 

He noted that it would be the first international AI summit hosted in the Global South, and would emphasise aligning approaches to AI governance and standards to foster a shared global understanding on the safe and responsible deployment of AI in real-world applications.