India's DPI model emerging as key pillar of digital diplomacy amid AI push
India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) framework is increasingly emerging as a tool of international engagement with using its technology platforms to deepen cooperation with countries across the Global South while positioning itself at the intersection of digital governance and artificial intelligence (AI).
The country signed DPI cooperation agreements with 23 countries ahead of the AI Impact Summit earlier this year, reflecting growing global interest in the country's digital infrastructure model that includes Aadhaar, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), DigiLocker and other citizen-centric platforms.
Often referred to as India Stack, the framework combines digital identity, digital payments, service delivery systems and data exchange architecture to support public services at scale.
Experts believe the success of these platforms has strengthened India's DPI diplomacy, particularly after making digital public infrastructure a key agenda item during its G20 Presidency in 2023.
As countries look to build digital systems while safeguarding digital sovereignty, India's model is attracting attention as a scalable and interoperable framework that can be adapted across different economies and governance systems.
The growing convergence between AI and DPI is also opening new opportunities. Policymakers see potential for AI-enabled applications to improve public service delivery, support multilingual access and enhance citizen engagement.
India's AI strategy envisages greater integration of AI with public digital infrastructure, including language-based tools such as Bhashini, aimed at enabling services in multiple Indian languages.
The foundations of India Stack were laid through Aadhaar, the country's biometric digital identity programme, which was initially developed to improve delivery of welfare benefits and social security schemes. Over time, it expanded into a broader ecosystem supporting financial inclusion, digital payments and governance services.
Analysts note that while India's DPI model has enhanced its global influence, challenges related to data privacy, governance and regulatory oversight will remain critical as digital platforms increasingly integrate with AI-driven applications.
They add that future growth of the DPI ecosystem will require robust safeguards around data protection, transparency, interoperability and accountability to ensure that expanding digital systems continue to serve citizens while maintaining public trust.
