'India Heart Of Global Tech Talent': UK Minister At AI Impact Summit

The UK's Minister for AI and Online Safety, Kanishka Narayan, has underlined India's growing leadership in global artificial intelligence governance, calling the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi a defining moment for collaboration between advanced economies and the Global South.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV at the British Council in New Delhi, Narayan said the summit is bringing together nearly 20 heads of state and over 45 ministerial delegations, marking a shift from abstract discussions on AI risks to real-world adoption, inclusion, and shared prosperity.

"The journey that began at Bletchley Park is now taking shape here in New Delhi," Narayan said, referring to the UK-hosted global AI summit in 2023. "What excites me most is the shared mission India and the UK have, using AI to drive prosperity while preserving dignity and welfare for all."

India: A Global AI Innovation Hub

Rejecting the idea that India is still "emerging" in artificial intelligence, Narayan said the country already represents the "beating heart of global tech talent", pointing to Indian leadership across major technology firms worldwide. He highlighted India's growing focus on efficient and small language models that can be deployed at scale and on low-cost devices.

"This is about putting AI into the hands of billions," he said. "That focus on making AI real in people's everyday lives is something the UK and India deeply share."

Narayan added that India's emphasis on inclusive innovation aligned strongly with British priorities, making the partnership a natural one as global rules and norms around AI governance evolve.

Safety, Regulation And Shared Values

On the contentious global debate around AI regulation, Narayan said governments must first invest in understanding rapidly evolving technologies before legislating. He pointed to the UK's AI Security Institute as a model for evidence-based policymaking through engagement with frontier AI labs.

However, he stressed that regulation becomes essential when fundamental societal values are threatened—particularly online harms involving children, women, and extremist content.

Citing recent concerns around AI-generated nudification tools, Narayan noted that both India and the UK acted firmly against such practices. "When India stood up and said this violates our values, and the UK did the same, we saw real progress," he said. "That shows what grounded, values-based regulation can achieve."

Technology, Trade And India-UK FTA

Narayan described the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as a cornerstone of future cooperation, highlighting its rare and dedicated innovation chapter. He said this reflected a shared understanding that technology has become a source of both economic and strategic power.

"The innovation chapter is there because we believe technology will define the next phase of our relationship," he said, pointing also to the Technology Security Initiative between the two countries.

He added that the next phase of cooperation would focus on translating the FTA's provisions into tangible outcomes—commercial partnerships, academic exchanges, and expanded opportunities for young professionals on both sides.

The minister's remarks come weeks after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited India with a large business delegation, underscoring London's push to accelerate trade and technology ties with New Delhi amid shifting global tariff regimes.

Countering Online Radicalisation

Addressing concerns around online radicalisation and extremist content, Narayan said the UK's Online Safety Act places clear legal responsibility on digital platforms to remove harmful content swiftly.

"There is no space for extremism," he said. "And this is an area where India and the UK share both a sense of urgency and a sense of values. When we act together, we are far more effective."

From Bihar to Britain

In a personal reflection, Narayan spoke about his journey from Muzaffarpur in Bihar to public office in the UK, describing it as one shaped by education, migration, and opportunity.

Growing up in Bihar, he recalled spending hours reading at the British Council library as a child—an experience that planted the seeds for his eventual move to the UK. "That sense of educational opportunity stayed with me," he said.

Narayan credited the warmth he received in Wales, where he now lives, for inspiring his decision to enter public service. "I wanted to give something back to the society that gave my family such a remarkable opportunity," he said.

Calling the India-UK relationship "deeply personal as well as strategic," Narayan said the future of cooperation lies not just in agreements and summits, but in people-to-people ties and shared ambition.

"As two countries chasing the future," he said, "our greatest strength is the hope and talent of our people."