India’s economic future is poised for a remarkable leap as NITI Aayog’s latest report projects that accelerated adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across various sectors could add an additional $500-600 billion to the country’s GDP by 2035. This transformative potential underscores AI’s role as a pivotal growth engine, enhancing productivity and operational efficiency, and positioning India strongly in the global technology landscape. The comprehensive report titled “AI for Viksit Bharat: The Opportunity for Accelerated Economic Growth” outlines how AI can be a decisive lever in India’s aspiration to become a $8.3 trillion economy by 2035 under the Viksit Bharat vision.
Key Takeaways Highlighting AI’s Economic Impact
AI adoption is forecasted to contribute $500-600 billion incrementally to India’s GDP beyond current growth projections, driven largely by enhanced productivity and efficiency across industries.
The financial services and manufacturing sectors are expected to benefit the most, with AI contributing up to 20-25% of their sectoral GDP by 2035.
AI-related improvements are predicted to unlock $50-55 billion in financial services through automation in compliance, fraud detection, risk management, and smarter credit decisioning.
In manufacturing, AI-driven productivity gains could add $85-100 billion by enabling better automation, quality control, and innovation.
India’s unique strengths, including a large STEM workforce, an evolving R&D ecosystem, and rapid digital adoption, place it well to capture 10-15% of the global AI value by 2035.
The report emphasizes the dual nature of AI’s impact, creating numerous new roles while displacing certain routine, clerical, and low-skill jobs, necessitating reskilling and workforce transition.
Exploring AI’s Role Across Key Sectors
The financial services sector stands out as a critical beneficiary, where AI technologies like advanced anomaly detection, secure multi-party computation, and federated learning can revolutionize regulatory compliance, fraud prevention, and credit management. This will not only improve operational efficiencies but also enhance customer experience and financial inclusion by enabling more accurate and dynamic lending decisions.
Manufacturing’s transformation focuses on AI-enabled automation that optimizes production lines, reduces defects, and accelerates innovation cycles in product design and software integration. These advances will help India compete globally by fostering higher-value manufacturing capabilities and reducing costs.
Beyond these, the report signals AI’s broader impact through frontier innovations such as AI-powered drug discovery and software-defined vehicles, which could become the next catalysts for growth and job creation, reinforcing India’s position in emerging technology fields.
Strategic Insights For Unlocking The AI Potential
The report underscores the necessity for a sector-specific, focused AI adoption strategy, targeting industries primed for early impact to maximize efficiency gains.
Accelerating AI adoption demands investments in digital infrastructure, fostering R&D, and cultivating talent equipped for AI-related skills.
Managing the workforce transition with re-skilling programs and educational reforms is vital to mitigate displacement effects and harness AI’s full economic benefits.
Public-private partnerships and regulatory frameworks will need to evolve to support AI innovation while ensuring ethical and secure deployment.
India’s Path To The Viksit Bharat Vision Through AI
Currently, India’s GDP growth trajectory is estimated at around 5.7%, potentially reaching $6.6 trillion by 2035. However, with AI-driven acceleration, the growth rate could hit about 8%, elevating GDP to $8.3 trillion. This uplift of $1.7 trillion in the economy encompasses productivity enhancements, innovation in technology services, and the development of new business models led by AI.
NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam highlights that AI is the decisive lever India cannot afford to overlook if it aims for accelerated growth and sustainable development, urging sectors like banking and manufacturing to deploy AI solutions urgently to improve competitiveness and efficiency.
In Conclusion: A Transformative Leap Awaits
NITI Aayog’s report paints a promising picture where AI adoption not only drives economic growth but also catalyzes innovation and technological self-reliance in India. The pathway involves reimagining industries, enhancing workforce capabilities, and establishing India as a leader in the global AI economy. This transformative journey, if executed well, can underpin the realization of the Viksit Bharat vision and empower India to leap forward on the global stage by 2035.
Sources: Times of India, Financial Express, Economic Times, The Hans India, NITI Aayog Report
