ISAS South Asia Scan

The global race to lead in advanced artificial intelligence, particularly large language models, is increasingly shaped by geopolitical competition, as these systems are now viewed as strategic assets influencing national power, economic strength and global influence. The United States and China dominate this space, with contrasting approaches that intensify their techno-strategic rivalry, while other countries – including the United Kingdom, France, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates – are also investing in foundational artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. India, facing both strategic ambitions and institutional constraints, is still debating its optimal path. 

This South Asia Scan argues that India should adopt a nuanced, hybrid and tiered AI strategy that balances strategic autonomy with practical adaptation, leveraging public-private partnerships, open-source collaboration and gradual capability building to enhance digital sovereignty and emerge as a credible AI player without replicating the resource-heavy models of leading powers.