WASHINGTON: India has emerged as a leading force in the application of artificial intelligence and is third in core AI creation after the United States and China, Indian-origin scientist Dr Taraknath Woddi said, pointing to the country’s growing strengths and untapped potential in the sector.

“Very bluntly, in terms of AI application usage, India is among the top in the application,” Woddi told IANS in an interview. “Usage of the application, India would come at the top of it now as an AI creator; it is number three in the world, but understand it is a distant number three.”

“Usage of the application, India would come at the top of it now; as an AI creator, it is number three in the world.”

— Dr Taraknath Woddi

Woddi, a nuclear engineer turned data scientist and founder of Anicca Data Science Solutions, said India’s immediate opportunity lies not in competing head-on with the United States and China in foundational models, but in building practical, industry-driven applications.

“The nation should keep on building applications right now, which have a direct utility with the industry,” he said, emphasising use cases such as enterprise systems, supply chains, and industrial optimisation.

Having returned from India after attending the AI Impact Summit last month, Woddi was emphatic in his praise for India’s leadership in artificial intelligence, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands out globally for his grasp of the subject.