Best of the Week: India pitches inclusive AI roadmap to the world

India used the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi this week to signal both its ambition and growing capability in shaping global artificial intelligence (AI) rules. Despite a few organizational hiccups, the event offered a clear window into the country’s long-term AI vision.

At the summit, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw unveiled the voluntary New Delhi Frontier AI Impact Commitments, urging companies to deliver measurable outcomes on responsible AI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that without safeguards, humans risk becoming mere data points, reinforcing India’s push to democratise AI for the Global South.

The framework asks firms to publish anonymised AI adoption data and improve multilingual performance beyond English. Experts warn the compliance burden could weigh on smaller startups even as India tightens oversight with new rules on labelling AI-generated content and removing deepfakes.

Alongside policy signals, corporate moves underscored the momentum. Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys recently struck partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic, respectively, giving thousands of engineers access to advanced AI tools while helping the global labs scale enterprise adoption in India. Analysts see these deals as potentially reviving growth in India’s pressured IT sector even as automation fears persist.

Read Mint’s comprehensive coverage of the AI Impact Summit here.

On to the best of Mint’s work from this week:

A tale of two AI apps: How MahaVISTAAR in Nashik and Amul’s Sarlaben bot are bootstrapping farm incomes

Where trust travels fastest

In Chanegaon village in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district, sugarcane farmer Vitthaldas Balkisan Asawa traces farming’s biggest shift not to weather or prices but to the fading joint family. Earlier, shared experience meant quick, trusted advice. Today, time-poor farmers often rely on nearby input shops. Asawa recently turned instead to the MahaVISTAAR app for pest guidance. Following its lower dosage recommendation saved him about ₹2,000 per acre and strengthened his trust in university-backed advice. Across Maharashtra and into Gujarat’s dairy belt, the real contest is clear: Whoever answers farmers fastest, and most credibly, shapes decisions that directly affect costs, crops, and livelihoods.

Solar makers line up ₹30,000 crore cell push

India’s solar manufacturers are preparing a ₹30,000 crore investment push to build about 50GW of solar cell capacity by FY27, driven by tighter local sourcing rules. Firms including Waaree Energies, Adani Solar, Reliance Industries, ReNew, and Avaada are expanding as India seeks to cut dependence on Chinese imports. While module capacity is ample, cell capacity remains a bottleneck. The new ALMM mandate is accelerating backward integration across the value chain. However, China still dominates key inputs like polysilicon and wafers, meaning full self-reliance will take time even as capacity ramps up sharply.

New CPI shows price calm with a few sharp spikes

India’s rebased Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January 2026 suggests inflation is steady but more finely measured. With the base year shifted to 2024 and the basket expanded to 358 items, the headline print of 2.75% stays broadly in line with the old series. Most goods saw modest price changes, with nearly half the basket below the 2% mark. A handful of outliers, especially precious metals and select vegetables, recorded sharp rises but had limited weight. The refreshed basket also captures modern spending better, while rural and urban trends remain closely aligned. Overall, the data points to contained inflation with isolated pockets of pressure.

India’s cheap urea habit is hurting farms

A quiet crisis is brewing in Indian agriculture. An internal survey by a fertilizer maker found many farmers over 40 doubt that their land will remain a valuable asset for the next generation. The problem lies in a vicious cycle of low crop profits, limited reinvestment, and rising climate risks. Meanwhile, India spends ₹1.9 trillion on fertilizer subsidies, far exceeding the farm budget, leaving little for research or irrigation. Ultra-cheap urea drives overuse, damaging soil health and wasting nutrients. Experts say unless subsidy reforms and smarter nutrient use are pushed, India risks weakening both farm incomes and long-term food security.

Flip-flop at Ola Electric

Ola Electric Mobility is facing growing scrutiny as frequent changes in its business commentary unsettle analysts and investors. Founder Bhavish Aggarwal has repeatedly revised guidance on gigafactory capacity, break-even sales targets, revenue outlook and distribution strategy, even as scooter sales have slumped. The company first scaled back its battery capacity ambitions, then revived expansion plans, and most recently capped the roadmap again. Its retail footprint has also shrunk sharply under cost cuts. Meanwhile, the monthly break-even target has been lowered from 50,000 units to 15,000.

Love, loss & liquidity

Market veteran Vijay Kedia, often dubbed the small-cap czar, recently broke down decades of investing wisdom using Gen Z dating slang. “Situationship creates Bull Markets. Bull Markets turn into Breadcrumbing. Breadcrumbing leads to Bear Markets. Bear Markets end in Ghosting,” he wrote, and just like that, volatility made emotional sense. The early “situationship” mirrors the excitement of a new bull run. “Breadcrumbing” captures those confusing mid-cycle rallies, mixed signals, selective gains. Then reality bites; the bear market. Finally comes “ghosting”, silence, low volumes, vanishing enthusiasm. His message? Markets change narratives, tech, housing, AI, but emotions don’t.

10 GW of data, but do we have the power?

India is racing toward 10 GW of data centre capacity by 2030, up from just 1.2 GW today. Sounds exciting, right? But powering AI isn’t cheap. Electricity demand from data centres could jump to 40-45 TWh by 2030, nearly tripling their share of national consumption. AI racks consume up to 15 times more power than traditional ones. A single cluster could draw 2-3 GW round the clock, enough to reshape a state’s demand curve. Are we grid-ready for that? Experts say faster transmission upgrades, green PPAs, storage-backed renewables and smarter grid planning are critical.

The rise of the CAIO

In just the past year, Indian firms have made 50+ senior AI leadership hires, with chief AI officers (CAIOs) emerging as the new power role. And the pace is accelerating. AI is no longer a side project inside engineering; it’s becoming the operating layer across fintech, BFSI, manufacturing and media. Some companies didn’t even replace departing CTOs, they rewired the org chart around AI. Why? Because investors want accountability. Boards want returns. And businesses want AI tied to revenue, not experiments. The message is to treat AI like an operating system, not a feature.

The heart of Indian giving

When Indians give, they give generously, and often spiritually! A new Ashoka University report estimates households donate ₹54,000 crore annually, nearly double corporate CSR spends. Interestingly, 46% of this goes to religious organizations, while 42% supports the destitutes. Friends and family? Just 9%. What stands out? Giving is deeply personal and often informal, with in-kind contributions (48%) slightly ahead of cash (44%). Nearly 30% volunteer their time. Education seems to amplify generosity, and urban India edges out rural areas overall, though rural households donate more to religious causes.

The ₹10 crore client war

India’s wealth boom has triggered an all-out talent war, and the hottest commodity isn’t capital, it’s relationship managers (RMs). With HNIs crossing 850,000 and set to nearly double by 2027, banks and wealth firms are scrambling to grab a bigger slice of the pie. The result? RM attrition at banks has touched 40%, with salary hikes of 30-40% and multi-year bonuses becoming the norm. Some are even switching sides with entire teams in tow. Why such frenzy? Because wealth is personal, and trust can’t be automated. AI can crunch numbers, but can it nurture a ₹10 crore client?