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India's strong digital foundation and vast pool of engineering talent position the country to become a global leader in artificial intelligence-driven innovation while creating a new generation of entrepreneurs, according to technology executives on Monday. 

Speaking in separate interviews with IANS in Seattle, Rhythm CEO and co-founder Vetri Valor and Veeam CEO Anand Eswaran stressed that the country should focus not only on job creation but also on building an innovation-driven ecosystem that enables millions of Indians to launch and scale businesses. 

Eswaran said India has already established the building blocks required for large-scale technological transformation through its digital identity and digital payments infrastructure. 

“India has the opportunity right now to apply AI and show, demonstrate outcomes which the world, you know, can use to get the outcomes of AI to a better place for humanity,” he stated.

He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership with strengthening India’s position in global innovation. "Building digital infrastructure that operated across more than a billion people was an especially difficult achievement," he noted.

Eswaran argued that India has the capability to develop AI-driven solutions in areas such as agriculture, healthcare and public services, creating applications that can increase crop yields, combat infectious diseases and deliver measurable benefits to society. 

According to him, the country's technological ecosystem presents an opportunity not only to serve domestic needs but also to build solutions that can be adopted globally.

Valor echoed many of these views but argued that India should place greater emphasis on creating entrepreneurs alongside generating employment opportunities.

Valor said discussions around economic development often focus on job creation, but the country should also work toward building an ecosystem that enables individuals to become business creators. With access to technology, talent and artificial intelligence, India has the potential to produce millions of entrepreneurs, he said.

According to Valor, the Indian-American community can play a valuable role in this transformation by sharing technical expertise, mentoring founders and contributing policy ideas that help India navigate emerging technological shifts. 

Beyond technology, he said, lessons learned from the entrepreneurial journeys of Indians in the United States can provide useful insights for policymakers and aspiring founders in India.

Discussing artificial intelligence, Valor described AI as a powerful equaliser that can democratise access to information and knowledge. He said information gaps have historically prevented many individuals from realising their full potential, and AI is helping bridge those gaps by making expertise and insights more accessible.