Gautam Adani: AI Must Empower Workers, Not Just Boardrooms

Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry Annual Business Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Adani said India should reject the idea that AI is primarily meant to replace jobs and instead use the technology to expand productivity, create employment and strengthen economic opportunities.

"India must build AI as a force that expands productivity, creates jobs, empowers small enterprises and gives Indians the tools to compete globally," he said.

Adani compared the potential impact of artificial intelligence with India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI), saying technology transformations become successful when they democratise access and create opportunities at scale.

"UPI did not simply move money. It made small businesses visible, expanded trust and unlocked entirely new economic ecosystems," he said.

According to Adani, AI now presents India with a similar opportunity to create new industries, employment ecosystems and business models.

He said this opportunity can only be achieved if India develops the full AI ecosystem, including reliable energy systems, data centres, computing infrastructure, digital networks, AI applications and skill development systems.

Adani also stressed that the future AI economy will depend not only on software and algorithms but also on millions of workers supporting physical infrastructure.

"The intelligence age cannot be built only through chips, servers and algorithms, but equally through technicians, electricians, operators, cooling engineers and millions of skilled workers," he said.

Warning against dependence on foreign-controlled digital infrastructure, Adani said countries are increasingly treating semiconductors, data and cloud infrastructure as strategic national assets.

"Semiconductors have become instruments of statecraft. Data is being treated as a national resource. Clouds are being weaponised. Artificial Intelligence is being built behind the protective walls of data centres," he said.

He added that India must build and control its own digital infrastructure rather than rely on external systems.

"India must not rent the infrastructure of its intelligence future. India must build it, power it and own it on its own soil," Adani said.

Highlighting the scale of investments needed in the sector, he referred to the Adani Group's USD 100 billion commitment across clean energy, digital infrastructure and data centres.

He also mentioned the group's partnerships with Google and Microsoft aimed at building sovereign computing capacity in India.

Reflecting on his business journey, Adani said he had spent decades building projects in regions where many saw limited possibilities.

"The future does not arrive. It is built," he said.

Adani further said that the next phase of India's growth and freedom would depend on the country's ability to build its own capabilities in energy, computing, digital infrastructure and innovation.

"The next freedom struggle will be fought in our grids, our data centres, our factories, our classrooms, our laboratories and our minds," he said.

- ANI