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Jensen Huang said during their conversation, PM Modi remarked that “it makes complete sense that India should manufacture its own AI”
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Mumbai. (News18)
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was all praise for PM Narendra Modi on Thursday as he recalled his meeting with the prime minister six years ago during a conversation with Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani.
“About six years ago, I met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he asked me to address his cabinet about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and I was so surprised because it was literally the first time any government leader had asked me to address his cabinet on the issue. This was long before anyone was talking about AI,” Huang said in Mumbai.
Sharing how he was explaining to the prime minister that it was essential for every nation to have their own AI, infrastructure and connectivity, Huang said PM Modi remarked that “it makes complete sense that India should manufacture its own AI”.
“One should not export data to import intelligence. He said, for instance, India should not export flour to import bread. We should add value to the data ourselves. He also said AI has the ability to elevate the entire population of India because everyone can learn the ability to train AI,” the CEO said, marvelling at the prime minister’s simple analogy to break down the complex issue of AI.
He was joined by Ambani who said India was “very fortunate to have a visionary leader who believes not only in vision but execution”.
At the event, the RIL chairman also said India was ready to surprise the world in the next few years with what the country can do with AI. “India will be one of biggest intelligence markets. It’s the youth power that exists in India that will drive intelligence and that too for domestic market.”
During his conversation with Huang on India’s AI vision, Ambani spoke about how Jio made data accessible and affordable for all Indians and how a repeat of the same was needed to make AI affordable and available.
“Apart from US and China, India has the best digital connectivity infrastructure today. Jio took India from 158 to Number 1 in 8 years. We are the largest data company in the world. At Jio, we delivered 16 hexabites data this year. In the US, data costs $ 5 per gb at an average, the world average is $ 3.5 per gb. In India, Jio delivers data at 15 cents per gb,” Ambani said adding, “We have to repeat a Jio for intelligence to be affordable and available to common man.”
