/images/ppid_59c68470-image-177021261373272844.webp)
What is the story about?
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, has called artificial intelligence a “once-in-centuries opportunity” for India, urging the country to embrace the technology as a powerful engine for productivity, growth and national transformation.
Speaking alongside BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink, Ambani said India is uniquely positioned to emerge as one of the biggest global winners in the AI revolution, thanks to its scale, young population and rapid adoption of technology.
“We are just at the beginning of this age. India has the opportunity, and at Reliance, we are taking it with both hands,” Ambani said.
India at the nexus of the AI revolution
Larry Fink underscored that India sits at the centre of the global AI shift, describing it as one of the most technologically receptive societies in the world.
“India is at the nexus of this: a large population, more accepting of technology, and more willing to embrace change,” Fink said, adding that AI will create jobs while also disrupting existing roles.
Fink noted that India’s rapid digitisation over the past decade has already demonstrated its ability to leapfrog traditional development stages — a momentum that could now accelerate through AI.
“AI is going to be a powerful growth engine, but we need to make sure it’s a growth engine for more,” he said.
Reliance’s big AI bet
Ambani made it clear that Reliance Industries is positioning itself aggressively to capitalise on the AI wave, calling it a defining opportunity for India’s future standing in the world.
“We have to embrace technology. We cannot run away from it. AI is real, and from an India point of view, it is hugely advantageous,” Ambani said.
Drawing parallels with the Industrial Revolution, Ambani argued that AI will boost productivity and enable India to build a more efficient and inclusive society.
“We shouldn’t get scared of AI. Productivity moved forward. Humanity moved forward,” he said.
AI as India’s next growth engine
Ambani outlined some of the most transformative use-cases where AI could help India solve challenges at unprecedented scale.
Education for 200 million children
Ambani highlighted the possibility of delivering quality education across India, even in the remotest villages, by leveraging AI-powered connectivity.
“Think about 200 million children in our schools. With AI, we can deliver quality education to each of these kids… with a fraction of the GDP that others spend,” he said.
Affordable healthcare at scale
He also pointed to healthcare as another critical area where AI could help India deliver services at dramatically lower costs.
“India is a large economy with 1.4 billion people, but without an organised health safety net yet. Can we deliver healthcare at a fraction of global costs? We cannot do it without AI,” Ambani said.
Security, governance and transparency
Ambani added that AI can strengthen national security, simplify taxation, and improve transparency in governance.
“Taxation can become simpler with transactional transparency. AI can help build a more predictable and enforceable society,” he said.
A competitive advantage India must seize
Ambani argued that India adapts to technology faster than most countries, and this speed must now become a strategic advantage in the AI era.
“India adapts to technology faster than everybody. We should use that as our competitive advantage,” he said.
He stressed that if India’s youth embraces AI, the country could redefine its global position over the next two to three decades.
“If we embrace technology… then in the next 20 to 30 years, we can redefine India and find our true position in the world,” Ambani said.
The AI race is global — and urgent
Fink warned that the AI investment cycle is not a bubble but a strategic necessity, especially as competition intensifies globally.
“The greatest risk we have is if we don’t invest and continue to invest — China will win,” Fink said.
He acknowledged there will be failures and shakeouts, but said AI’s disruptive impact across industries is unavoidable.
Bottom line
With Reliance betting big and global investors like BlackRock highlighting India’s strategic position, the message from Ambani and Fink is clear: AI could define India’s next era of economic growth and global influence.
As Ambani put it, this is not just another technology cycle — it is a generational opportunity.
“It’s a once-in-centuries opportunity,” he said.
Also Read | 'Done in a car ride'—how Mukesh Ambani and Larry Fink closed a $300 million deal
Below is the edited transcript of the discussion.
Q: Larry Fink, let's talk about AI and the potential of AI. You're a big believer in the AI story. Stock market volatility notwithstanding, we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars in this AI infrastructure build-out. This is front-loaded spending and there's still a question mark on revenues and returns. How do you sum up what is happening in the world of AI today?
Fink: I want to state that I don't believe there's an AI bubble. The greatest risk we have is if we don't invest and continue to invest—China will win. The need to rapidly expand AI opportunities is necessary.
That doesn't mean we're not going to have some bankruptcies or failures. That's capitalism. You have some big successes and big failures.
The opportunity companies have in utilising AI is going to be present in everything we do. Even yesterday, you had Anthropic announce a new model, which is going to be threatening for some businesses, but an opportunity for others.
There's no question AI is among the most topical conversations we're having now because it is disruptive. It's going to be disruptive for some industries, but it's also going to be very advancing.
The future of AI in drug discovery, in terms of humanity, is real. The use of AI for the development of new sources of power, or cheaper sources of power—what can that mean in the long run for the Global South? Could we have abundance in energy one day? That's still far-fetched at this moment, but the opportunities for acceleration of science are there.
AI is going to allow more discovery, more opportunities. Like so many other technologies, it's going to be disruptive for some businesses and economies.
The key for AI to be really successful in every society is to make sure that AI broadens economic success and doesn't narrow it. That's going to be the real issue.
In the short run, you're going to see countries that are huge winners and some that are left behind. In the long run, I think it's going to be more democratising.
We look at AI as a huge opportunity in navigating the $14 trillion that we manage on behalf of our clients. We have to use advanced technologies to process the business we're already doing.
AI can increase productivity, and that's going to be crucial for economies with diminishing populations, like Korea and Japan.
India is at the nexus of this: a large population, more accepting of technology, and more willing to embrace change. AI is going to create jobs and disrupt jobs.
India rapidly transformed its economy with digitisation, and that was a wonder to watch. AI is going to be a powerful growth engine, but we need to make sure it's a growth engine for more.
Q: You're absolutely right. To your point about India surprising on the digitisation front, this was surprising for me as well—the Binance CEO in Davos told me that India is the number one adopter of blockchain technology, something I was not aware of. But Mr. Ambani, since we're talking about AI and technology, to Larry Fink's point, how do we leverage all of this to create shared wealth creation?
Ambani: Well, I have been a believer that we have to embrace technology. We cannot run away from it. AI is real, and from an India point of view, it is hugely advantageous.
Think about 200 million children in our schools. If we now think about connectivity to all our schools, and we set a goal that in one decade, with a fraction of the GDP that others spend on education, we can deliver to each of these 200 million kids, including in the remotest village, quality education. Without AI, we could not have dreamt of solving it.
Healthcare is another example. India is a large economy with 1.4 billion people, but without an organised health safety net yet. Can we deliver healthcare at a fraction of global costs? The answer is: we cannot do it without AI.
Security is critical for our safety. Taxation can become simpler with transactional transparency. AI can help build a more predictable and enforceable society.
We shouldn't get scared of AI. It's exactly like the Industrial Revolution—humanity moved forward. Productivity moved forward.
India adapts to technology faster than everybody. We should use that as our competitive advantage. Embrace it. Get the productivity advantage, the earnings advantage, and build a better society.
We are just at the beginning of this age. India has the opportunity, and at Reliance, we are taking it with both hands. It's a once-in-centuries opportunity.
If we embrace technology and allow our youth to embrace it, then in the next 20 to 30 years, we can redefine India and find our true position in the world.
Watch the video for more
Speaking alongside BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink, Ambani said India is uniquely positioned to emerge as one of the biggest global winners in the AI revolution, thanks to its scale, young population and rapid adoption of technology.
“We are just at the beginning of this age. India has the opportunity, and at Reliance, we are taking it with both hands,” Ambani said.
India at the nexus of the AI revolution
Larry Fink underscored that India sits at the centre of the global AI shift, describing it as one of the most technologically receptive societies in the world.
“India is at the nexus of this: a large population, more accepting of technology, and more willing to embrace change,” Fink said, adding that AI will create jobs while also disrupting existing roles.
Fink noted that India’s rapid digitisation over the past decade has already demonstrated its ability to leapfrog traditional development stages — a momentum that could now accelerate through AI.
“AI is going to be a powerful growth engine, but we need to make sure it’s a growth engine for more,” he said.
Reliance’s big AI bet
Ambani made it clear that Reliance Industries is positioning itself aggressively to capitalise on the AI wave, calling it a defining opportunity for India’s future standing in the world.
“We have to embrace technology. We cannot run away from it. AI is real, and from an India point of view, it is hugely advantageous,” Ambani said.
Drawing parallels with the Industrial Revolution, Ambani argued that AI will boost productivity and enable India to build a more efficient and inclusive society.
“We shouldn’t get scared of AI. Productivity moved forward. Humanity moved forward,” he said.
AI as India’s next growth engine
Ambani outlined some of the most transformative use-cases where AI could help India solve challenges at unprecedented scale.
Education for 200 million children
Ambani highlighted the possibility of delivering quality education across India, even in the remotest villages, by leveraging AI-powered connectivity.
“Think about 200 million children in our schools. With AI, we can deliver quality education to each of these kids… with a fraction of the GDP that others spend,” he said.
Affordable healthcare at scale
He also pointed to healthcare as another critical area where AI could help India deliver services at dramatically lower costs.
“India is a large economy with 1.4 billion people, but without an organised health safety net yet. Can we deliver healthcare at a fraction of global costs? We cannot do it without AI,” Ambani said.
Security, governance and transparency
Ambani added that AI can strengthen national security, simplify taxation, and improve transparency in governance.
“Taxation can become simpler with transactional transparency. AI can help build a more predictable and enforceable society,” he said.
A competitive advantage India must seize
Ambani argued that India adapts to technology faster than most countries, and this speed must now become a strategic advantage in the AI era.
“India adapts to technology faster than everybody. We should use that as our competitive advantage,” he said.
He stressed that if India’s youth embraces AI, the country could redefine its global position over the next two to three decades.
“If we embrace technology… then in the next 20 to 30 years, we can redefine India and find our true position in the world,” Ambani said.
The AI race is global — and urgent
Fink warned that the AI investment cycle is not a bubble but a strategic necessity, especially as competition intensifies globally.
“The greatest risk we have is if we don’t invest and continue to invest — China will win,” Fink said.
He acknowledged there will be failures and shakeouts, but said AI’s disruptive impact across industries is unavoidable.
Bottom line
With Reliance betting big and global investors like BlackRock highlighting India’s strategic position, the message from Ambani and Fink is clear: AI could define India’s next era of economic growth and global influence.
As Ambani put it, this is not just another technology cycle — it is a generational opportunity.
“It’s a once-in-centuries opportunity,” he said.
Also Read | 'Done in a car ride'—how Mukesh Ambani and Larry Fink closed a $300 million deal
Below is the edited transcript of the discussion.
Q: Larry Fink, let's talk about AI and the potential of AI. You're a big believer in the AI story. Stock market volatility notwithstanding, we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars in this AI infrastructure build-out. This is front-loaded spending and there's still a question mark on revenues and returns. How do you sum up what is happening in the world of AI today?
Fink: I want to state that I don't believe there's an AI bubble. The greatest risk we have is if we don't invest and continue to invest—China will win. The need to rapidly expand AI opportunities is necessary.
That doesn't mean we're not going to have some bankruptcies or failures. That's capitalism. You have some big successes and big failures.
The opportunity companies have in utilising AI is going to be present in everything we do. Even yesterday, you had Anthropic announce a new model, which is going to be threatening for some businesses, but an opportunity for others.
There's no question AI is among the most topical conversations we're having now because it is disruptive. It's going to be disruptive for some industries, but it's also going to be very advancing.
The future of AI in drug discovery, in terms of humanity, is real. The use of AI for the development of new sources of power, or cheaper sources of power—what can that mean in the long run for the Global South? Could we have abundance in energy one day? That's still far-fetched at this moment, but the opportunities for acceleration of science are there.
AI is going to allow more discovery, more opportunities. Like so many other technologies, it's going to be disruptive for some businesses and economies.
The key for AI to be really successful in every society is to make sure that AI broadens economic success and doesn't narrow it. That's going to be the real issue.
In the short run, you're going to see countries that are huge winners and some that are left behind. In the long run, I think it's going to be more democratising.
We look at AI as a huge opportunity in navigating the $14 trillion that we manage on behalf of our clients. We have to use advanced technologies to process the business we're already doing.
AI can increase productivity, and that's going to be crucial for economies with diminishing populations, like Korea and Japan.
India is at the nexus of this: a large population, more accepting of technology, and more willing to embrace change. AI is going to create jobs and disrupt jobs.
India rapidly transformed its economy with digitisation, and that was a wonder to watch. AI is going to be a powerful growth engine, but we need to make sure it's a growth engine for more.
Q: You're absolutely right. To your point about India surprising on the digitisation front, this was surprising for me as well—the Binance CEO in Davos told me that India is the number one adopter of blockchain technology, something I was not aware of. But Mr. Ambani, since we're talking about AI and technology, to Larry Fink's point, how do we leverage all of this to create shared wealth creation?
Ambani: Well, I have been a believer that we have to embrace technology. We cannot run away from it. AI is real, and from an India point of view, it is hugely advantageous.
Think about 200 million children in our schools. If we now think about connectivity to all our schools, and we set a goal that in one decade, with a fraction of the GDP that others spend on education, we can deliver to each of these 200 million kids, including in the remotest village, quality education. Without AI, we could not have dreamt of solving it.
Healthcare is another example. India is a large economy with 1.4 billion people, but without an organised health safety net yet. Can we deliver healthcare at a fraction of global costs? The answer is: we cannot do it without AI.
Security is critical for our safety. Taxation can become simpler with transactional transparency. AI can help build a more predictable and enforceable society.
We shouldn't get scared of AI. It's exactly like the Industrial Revolution—humanity moved forward. Productivity moved forward.
India adapts to technology faster than everybody. We should use that as our competitive advantage. Embrace it. Get the productivity advantage, the earnings advantage, and build a better society.
We are just at the beginning of this age. India has the opportunity, and at Reliance, we are taking it with both hands. It's a once-in-centuries opportunity.
If we embrace technology and allow our youth to embrace it, then in the next 20 to 30 years, we can redefine India and find our true position in the world.
Watch the video for more
