PM Modi & Nandan Nilekani Champion AI for Farmers, Dairy & Global South

Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the shared commitment to harnessing AI for sustainable development and human progress at the AI Impact Summit's CEO Roundtable. Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani cited a specific example where PM Modi's suggestion led to a live AI application for Amul's dairy farmers within three weeks, showcasing rapid execution. Nilekani drew parallels to the UPI revolution, expressing confidence that AI will similarly take off in India to benefit common citizens. PM Modi, in his plenary address, stressed the need for a human-centric global AI ecosystem that prioritizes the aspirations of the Global South.

Key Points: PM Modi's AI Vision for Farmers & Sustainable Development

  • AI for agriculture & dairy
  • Scaling AI responsibly
  • Global South priorities
  • Human-centric AI ecosystem
  • Speed of execution in India
4 min read

CEO Roundtable at Impact Summit reflected shared commitment for harnessing AI for sustainable development: PM Modi

PM Modi & Nandan Nilekani discuss AI's role in agriculture, dairy, and inclusive growth at the AI Impact Summit. A roadmap for human-centric AI.

"India will lead the world on showing how AI diffusion can matter to improve the lives of the common man, farmers, students, and patients. - Nandan Nilekani"

New Delhi, February 19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that discussions at the CEO Roundtable at the AI Impact Summit were insightful and forward-looking and focused on unlocking opportunities for growth.

In a post on X, he said it was heartening to see a shared commitment to harnessing AI for progress and sustainable development.

"The CEO Roundtable at the AI Impact Summit brought together various stakeholders from the world of AI, technology and innovation. The discussions were insightful and forward-looking, focused on scaling AI responsibly, strengthening global collaboration and unlocking opportunities for growth," he said.

"It was heartening to see a shared commitment to harnessing AI for human progress and sustainable development," he added.

Speaking at the CEOs Forum, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani on Thursday said that the AI Impact Summit held in the national capital has been "fantastic" and noted that AI will really take off in the country with PM Modi's vision of its role in benefiting the common man, workers and farmers.

He recalled how PM Modi gave them a suggestion to extend AI application to dairy besides agriculture.

Nilekani said India will lead the world on showing how AI diffusion can matter to improve the lives of the common man, farmers, students, and patients.

"Congratulations, PM Modi, on a fantastic Summit. It's really been great. I want to talk about AI diffusion in India with an example. When I met PM Modi on 8th January and talked about applying AI to farmers. He said, why can't we apply it to cows and cattle? Because if the cow is sick, it can't tell you that it is sick. How can you solve this problem? He gave us his vision of applying AI to agriculture and dairy," he said.

"The same day, the PMO had a meeting along with Krishnan and Abhishek of MeitY, with Amul, and with some of my colleagues. Within three weeks, the application went live... This is the world's largest cooperative with 3.6 million farmers, 2 billion milk transactions per year, and 40 million cattle. This, to me, is an example of the speed of execution of AI diffusion in India," he added.

Nilenkani said he got the same sense of excitement as on December 30, 2016, when the PM Modi launched the BHIM payment application on UPI.

"And when he launched that application, he started something where today we have 21 billion transactions a month with 500 million users and the world's largest payment system. I feel the same sense that AI is at that point. With his leadership and vision of how AI can be used for the benefit of Indians, the common man, farmers, and workers, I think it's going to really take off," he said

"By the time many of these people come back in a few months, there will be many more applications. India will lead the world in showing how AI diffusion can matter to improve the lives of common man, farmers, students, patients. This is where the AI road, the race to the top is going to happen," he added.

In his remarks at the Leaders' Plenary Session during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, PM Modi expressed confidence that the summit will play a crucial role in building a human-centric and sensitive global AI ecosystem.

He remarked that history shows humanity has always turned disruptions into opportunities, and today presents another such moment to transform disruption into humanity's greatest opportunity.

PM Modi recalled Lord Buddha's teaching that "Right Action comes from Right Understanding," stressing the importance of creating a roadmap that ensures AI's positive impact through timely, well-intentioned, and correct decisions.

The Prime Minister remarked that during the COVID global pandemic, the world witnessed that when nations stand together, even the impossible becomes possible.

The Prime Minister remarked that while technology in the past created divisions, AI must now be accessible and within everyone's reach. He stressed that as the future of AI is discussed, the aspirations and priorities of the Global South must be placed at the center of AI governance.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Applying AI to help farmers and cattle is such a practical and needed step. It's not just about fancy tech in cities, but solving real problems in villages. Hope this leads to better prices and health for our dairy farmers. 🙏
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Aman W
The focus on the Global South in AI governance is crucial. Often, tech development is too Western-centric. If India can lead in making AI accessible and relevant for our farmers and workers, it will be a true digital revolution.
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Rohit P
The comparison to UPI's launch is exciting. If AI adoption follows that path, we could see India creating global benchmarks again. From payments to intelligence – Jai Anushandhan! 💡
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Sarah B
As an expat working in tech, it's impressive to see India positioning itself at the forefront of ethical and applied AI. The dairy farming use-case is a brilliant example of 'frugal innovation' – high impact with practical focus.
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Karthik V
While the vision is good, execution and equitable access will be key. We must ensure this AI diffusion doesn't just benefit large cooperatives like Amul but also reaches small, marginal farmers in remote areas. The intent is right, hope the implementation is inclusive.
M
Meera T

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