In a striking remark at the Global Fintech Fest 2025, Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma expressed deep concern that India is not harnessing the full potential of artificial intelligence (AI) at scale. He cautioned that without urgent action, the country risks ceding its technological future to external players.
“I’m uncomforted by the fact that our country is not playing the opportunity of AI at a scale we need to play,” Sharma told the audience during a fireside chat.
“We are underestimating the power of AI. Startups in the Bay Area are raising billions of dollars—and we, back home, are not bothered about it.”
Preserving “AI sovereignty”
One of the more evocative lines in Sh
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