Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma calls AI a once-in-a-generation opportunity for India

Paytm Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma has described artificial intelligence as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for India to create new jobs, build large new economic opportunities and emerge as a global technology leader.

Sharing his views on X during a discussion around the impact of AI, Sharma said he felt bad when new job creation and new economy creation opportunities were viewed primarily as risks of the technology.

He said the early impact and opportunities of technology platforms are often overblown, while their deeper impact is understood only later. As a profound technology, AI offers India a single opportunity to build at scale, let innovation bloom and prosper, and move into the global technology top league.


Referring to social networks, Sharma noted that they were not created as job creators or job eaters. Over time, however, mainstream media became affected as revenues flowed to big technology companies and narrative-setting increasingly became company policy instead of editorial input.

For India, Sharma said the Government of India's semiconductor initiatives and the IndiaAI Mission are perfectly aligned with the country's opportunity to build global leadership in AI.

He also referred to discussions in the United States around data centres and water usage, saying India should protect its AI opportunity and continue moving forward with focus and ambition.

Sharma said India can go all-in on AI and use the technology to leapfrog to its next level of economic and technological growth.