India, June 23 -- For the last three years, India followed a simple strategy on artificial intelligence. It did not try to build the world's most powerful AI models. Instead, it focused on building smart applications using models made by others. India has a huge pool of tech talent, strong digital infrastructure, and a habit of adopting new technology quickly and cheaply. That is why it eventually become a place where raw AI capabilities turned into practical, valuable applications for farmers, small businesses, hospitals and everyday users. The AI models themselves, mostly built in American and Chinese labs, were treated like electricity or the internet. Something you simply plug into, without worrying too much about who built it.

This ...