There is no reason why India cannot do 'frontier work' in AI: Nadella

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, while on his visit to India said that the country must get into frontier work in artificial intelligence and build foundational models. He agreed that investment is a real entry barrier and just one mathematical breakthrough can change entire dynamics.

While responding to a question by additional secretary in the IT ministry Abhishek Singh on whether India should build its own AI foundational model, Nadella said that India always has an option to do that but the real entry barrier in making foundational models is investment.

During his second day of Microsoft India AI Tour, Nadella said that India can do great work in the area of Indic languages and transforming its industries using artificial intelligence.

 "There's no reason why India can't do frontier work, but you can even define a pretty unique frontier. So for example, I don't think the last known big breakthrough in the AI frontier has happened. I always say we are one mathematical breakthrough away from that entire edifice being thrown out and being going after something else," Nadella said.

According to him, academics in India, the research institutions, including Microsoft Research, are a very fantastic math team and algorithms team.

"Let's not be bound, quite frankly, with what is considered frontier. So I would say India definitely should also do frontier work. Also use the frontier in order to, post training, to make it great for Indic languages, make it great for Indian industry, and so on," Nadella said.

"I think that the design space here is there for India to make some smart, strategic choices. And I'm not saying you shouldn't do like you know, but then you have to be mindful that it is a capital intensive business if you want to be on the frontier," Nadella said.

At present, India is using AI engines or the foundational models developed by OpenAI, Google etc.