AI era: What makes India’s approach different from the US and China?

Ajith Nayar, Co-founder and CEO of CamCom, says global power is shifting from land, industry, and finance to intelligence itself. In his article for GoodReturns titled IndiaAI and the New Geography of Power, he argues that the next era of influence will belong not to traditional economic giants but to nations capable of understanding human consequences and scaling intelligence effectively.

A third path in global AI

Nayar highlights India as a critical player offering an alternative to the US and China. “While the American model is driven by private capital and corporate speed, and the Chinese model relies on state-led infrastructure and surveillance,” he writes, India’s approach treats AI as public infrastructure prioritising inclusion and safety. By leveraging diverse data and working within resource constraints, India turns potential obstacles into unique advantages, positioning itself as a model distinct from dominant AI systems.

Reducing dependency and shaping the future

Developing nations in Africa and Southeast Asia are increasingly wary of “cognitive dependency” on major power blocs. Nayar notes they seek AI that is affordable and aligned with public needs rather than private profit. India, having built technology under real-world challenges, is well placed to meet this demand. Meanwhile, West Asian states are investing heavily in sovereign computing, though Nayar cautions that true long-term success requires deep local research, not just capital.

Looking ahead, AI is moving toward “consequential intelligence”—systems that understand industrial risks, crop stress, and urban flooding. Such technology still depends on physical land, energy, and secure semiconductor supply chains. By the mid-2030s, trusted intelligence exports could shape global diplomacy as much as energy once did. The article emphasises the social challenge: nations must retrain their workforces rapidly to keep pace with these changes.