India Must Lead, Not Follow in AI: Mukesh Ambani at Reliance AGM

Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani on Friday outlined the conglomerate's ambitious vision to position India as a global leader in artificial intelligence while advancing energy self-sufficiency through its new energy initiatives, describing both sectors as critical pillars of the country's journey towards becoming a developed nation.

Addressing shareholders at Reliance Industries' 49th Annual General Meeting, Ambani said India must move beyond being a consumer of emerging technologies and become a creator of globally competitive innovations.

Emphasising the strategic importance of technology and energy independence, he added, "Maximum energy self-sufficiency and AI self-sufficiency must become our national missions. The success of these missions is critical to the success of Viksit Bharat."

Highlighting Reliance's commitment to these priorities, Ambani said the company is accelerating investments in both artificial intelligence and new energy, which are expected to drive the group's next phase of growth while contributing to national development.

What Is Reliance Intelligence and How Will It Drive Reliance’s AI Strategy?

As part of its AI strategy, Reliance is advancing Reliance Intelligence, which Ambani described as the company's newest growth engine aimed at building India's digital and technological capabilities.

"That is why we announced Reliance Intelligence last year as our newest growth engine. Our objective is to build a profitable AI infrastructure, platform, and services business serving consumers, enterprise, and governments at scale," he said.

Stressing the commercial viability of the initiative, Ambani said, "Our objective is to build a profitable AI infrastructure, platform, and services business serving consumers, enterprise, and governments at scale."

According to Ambani, Reliance has already established the foundations required to execute its AI ambitions through strategic global partnerships and technology investments.

"We set out a clear vision, identified the focus areas, and began building the right partnerships with Google, Meta, and Nvidia. Now we are entering the next phase, execution," he said.

Drawing parallels with Reliance Jio's transformative role in expanding internet access across India, Ambani said the company's next mission is to make artificial intelligence accessible to all.

"A decade ago, Jio promised broadband connectivity to everyone, everywhere, and we delivered on that promise. Today, Reliance Intelligence promises AI to everyone, everywhere, and we shall deliver on this promise too," he said.

Ambani noted that Jio has evolved from being a technology adopter into a technology creator and said Reliance Intelligence would provide Indian engineers an opportunity to build globally relevant innovations from India.

(With inputs from ANI)