New Delhi: At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Microsoft President and Vice Chairman Brad Smith highlighted India as a key hub for the future of artificial intelligence. He announced that Microsoft plans to invest $50 billion by the end of this decade to expand AI across the Global South, with India being a primary focus.
Smith emphasized that infrastructure alone is not enough to drive AI adoption. “Data centers and basic facilities like computing, connectivity, and electricity are essential, but equally important is providing skills and training to people,” he said. According to him, AI must be effective in every language to address local challenges and serve humanity meaningfully.
He added, “To make AI truly useful for the Global South, we need widespread training so that populations can adopt and benefit from the technology. AI should solve problems that matter most to these countries.”
Smith further urged that AI be applied in ways that benefit the maximum number of people. “AI represents the next great tool for human curiosity and opens numerous opportunities. The key is to ensure it is used for purposes that accelerate benefits for the majority of nations,” he said.
He also stressed the need for measurable progress: “Every AI summit is a moment of pride, but it is essential to build bridges, set clear goals, adopt uniform standards, and evaluate yearly whether real progress has been made.”
Discover more from SD NEWS agency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.