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US Pushes AI Access for India, Flags Security Risks in Tech Cooperation

The United States is pushing for expanded AI access for India and other South/Central Asian countries, emphasizing the need to avoid technological dependencies on adversarial nations. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bethany Morrison highlighted the importance of clear guardrails for AI development and security. She noted growing Indian participation in the AI ecosystem and rising investment flows between the two countries. The US and India are working to build secure AI supply chains and ensure long-term technological resilience.

Key Points: US AI Access Push for India, Security Risks Flagged

  • US pushes AI access for India and South/Central Asia
  • Focus on avoiding dependence on adversarial nations
  • AI security risks require clear guardrails
  • US-India partnership drives tech investments and supply chains
3 min read

US pushes AI access, flags security risks

US urges AI access for India, warns against adversarial dependencies, highlighting security and tech cooperation at US-India forum.

"We want to make sure that countries in our region have access to world class technology and are able to get that integrated into their society to deliver the best value results for their people. - Bethany Morrison"

Washington, May 9

The United States wants countries in South and Central Asia, including India, to have access to "world class technology" while avoiding dependence on adversarial nations, a senior State Department official said, underscoring Washington's push to expand AI cooperation with New Delhi.

Addressing the US-India AI and Emerging Technology Forum, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bethany Morrison said the focus is on ensuring technology access translates into tangible benefits for societies.

"We want to make sure that countries in our region have access to world class technology and are able to get that integrated into their society to deliver the best value results for their people," she said.

Morrison stressed that rapid advances in artificial intelligence must be matched with clear guardrails. "But in order to fully realise the benefits of this incredible technology, we must be guided by the principles of openness, as well as focus on our security and our interoperability and avoid any dependencies on adversarial nations," she said.

Morrison said the United States aims to "export that AI technology and practice to the world," aligning with a wider policy push to increase global access to US-developed AI tools.

"AI is not the future the present, and it's made with American software, hardware and large language models," she said, highlighting US leadership in innovation.

At the same time, Morrison pointed to growing Indian participation in the AI ecosystem, calling the bilateral relationship a driver of "real deals and real results for both Indian and Americans."

She cited rising investment flows between the two countries, noting that Indian firms are committing significant resources to US technology infrastructure, while American companies are expanding operations in India. "These are incredible and cutting edge investments that will have high impact in both the American and the Indian societies," she said.

The official also emphasised the physical backbone of AI, including data centres, chips and energy supply. "AI may seem like it conquers information... but it's very physical technology that requires chips as data centres, wires and electricity," she said, pointing to the need for resilient supply chains.

Morrison said Washington and New Delhi are working together to build "secure and trusted AI supply chains" and ensure long-term technological resilience.

She framed the current moment as a turning point in bilateral cooperation. "We are incredibly excited about this moment in terms of both the tech advancements and the US India partnership," she said, adding that "the opportunities are limitless."

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Ananya R
"AI is made with American software, hardware and large language models" - that's a bit arrogant, isn't it? India has a thriving AI startup ecosystem and our engineers contribute massively to global AI. Yes, cooperation is good, but this framing feels like the US claiming ownership over something we're all building together.
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Rahul R
Finally some practical talk about data centres and energy! People think AI is some magical cloud thing but it needs massive infrastructure. India's renewable energy push actually positions us well for this. We should negotiate hard - let them use our solar power and talent in exchange for tech transfer and local manufacturing.
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Michael C
As an American who works with Indian colleagues, our partnership is genuinely powerful. We complement each other - US innovation with Indian engineering scale. But "avoiding adversarial dependencies" is smart for everyone. The world needs diverse, secure supply chains for AI chips and infrastructure. Good to see this bilateral momentum.
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Priya S
All this talk of "guardrails" and "security" sounds nice, but what about the real security risks? AI taking jobs, biased algorithms, privacy violations. Our government needs to set strong regulations for AI use in healthcare, education and policing. We can't just import American tech without Indian oversight. The benefits must reach ordinary people, not just tech companies.
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James A
Interesting to see the US framing this as a region-wide push including Central Asia. That's smart geopolitics - offering an alternative to Chinese digital silk road. India should position itself as the regional hub for ethical AI development and training. We have the English-speaking workforce and democratic values that align with Western frameworks.

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