New Delhi, Feb. 16 -- The global balance of power in the coming decades may hinge on leadership in artificial intelligence (AI). While the United States currently leads the AI race and could retain its superpower status until 2050, history, particularly India's own economic legacy, demonstrates how transformative technologies redefine global dominance.

Economic history shows that nations mastering breakthrough technologies shape world order. According to renowned economic historian Angus Maddison, India was the world's largest economy for centuries prior to industrialisation, powered by robust agricultural productivity, advanced trade networks, and sophisticated production systems.

In 1700, India accounted for approximately 22.6 per cen...