Nandan Nilekani, a tech expert, had an interesting address at the Global Technology Summit. He got people talking about some cool ideas that go beyond the usual stuff in Artificial Intelligence (AI). He wants to do something different from the usual AI stuff. He believes India should focus more on data, making it the main player in changing how things work. He calls this idea the Digital Public Intelligence (DPI) approach. It is like shifting our attention from cool AI models to making the most of the information we have.
Nilekani’s plea is simple yet profound – let us not get lost in the maze of AI models. But he is saying we should look at the basics: data. He is saying we are missing important things like Indian language data, audio data and local info. What’s his solution? He says we should organize the data smartly and not focus too much on fancy AI models. He thinks these models will become common in the next three years, so there is no need to rush to show off the newest and coolest ones.
However, Nilekani does not stop there. Talking about the rules for using open-source models, he brings a positive vibe. He thinks that the market will push for a more open and team-friendly setup, making these smart models available to more people.
The narrative then unfolds into the journey from Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to what Nilekani dubs as Digital Public Intelligence. He shows us clearly how DPI has helped a lot in solving big problems in India. From the revolutionary Aadhaar platform providing identity to over a billion people to catalyzing financial inclusion through electronic KYC, DPI has been the silent force shaping India’s digital landscape.
