India showcases AI gains in farming and healthcare as World Bank launches report: Vaishnaw

NEW DELHI: Artificial intelligence is helping farmers improve yields and healthcare providers detect diseases, Union minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said while launching the World Bank Group’s World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence in New Delhi on 8 October.

The report examines how developing economies can harness AI to improve productivity, expand access to expertise and strengthen public services. It recommends a three-pronged approach of adopting existing AI tools, adapting them to local needs and advancing domestic capabilities.

The India launch was organised jointly by the IndiaAI Mission, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the World Bank Group. The event brought together policymakers, development experts and technology leaders to discuss how AI solutions can move beyond pilot projects and deliver measurable benefits at scale.

Highlighting AI’s potential in everyday applications, Vaishnaw cited examples from agriculture and healthcare, including a Baramati initiative that has improved sugarcane yields while reducing the use of water and fertilisers.

“AI is changing the lives of ordinary people. In Baramati, sugarcane yields rose by 40 per cent with 30 per cent less water and fertiliser, for farmers who have never used a computer simply through voice on a phone. In healthcare, TB detection has increased by 35 per cent,” Vaishnaw said.

He added that the Baramati initiative draws on satellite, internet of things (IoT) and weather data, while also lowering labour costs. In Gujarat, AgriStack is being used by five lakh farmers, while the Sarlaben initiative is supporting animal health for three crore cattle and their farmers.

The report argues that developing economies do not need to build advanced AI systems from scratch to benefit from the technology. Instead, they should prioritise affordable, locally relevant applications while investing in the infrastructure and institutions needed to support wider adoption.

Reliable electricity and internet connectivity, computing capacity, quality data, education, skills and capable institutions are among the foundations identified as essential to realising AI’s development potential.

World Bank Group director of strategy for development economics Somik Lall said the focus should be on deploying AI to address real-world challenges rather than concentrating solely on developing the technology.

“One of the key messages of the World Development Report is not about creating artificial intelligence but deploying it. India has a unique opportunity to bring together institutions, markets and AI to transform millions of lives,” Lall said.

World Bank Group chief economist and senior vice-president Michael Kremer, delivering a keynote lecture titled From AI Pilots to Scale: The Promise of AI in India, said the country’s progress could offer lessons for other developing economies.

“India’s huge strides in AI is not just addressing its own problems but broader development challenges for the world,” Kremer said.

He highlighted India’s AI-based monsoon forecasting initiative, under which government agencies tested and combined multiple AI models, including open-access models, to provide forecasts to millions of farmers through text messages, voice services and AI-powered advisories.

The system predicted the unusual 2025 monsoon, Kremer said, adding that Ethiopia was now following India’s lead. He emphasised that government intervention can be particularly important when commercial incentives are limited but the potential social benefits are significant.

Kremer also pointed to the need for a full-stack approach to scaling AI, encompassing not only software but also the people, processes and institutions required to make solutions work in practice.

Presenting the report’s findings, World Development Report 2026 director Gaurav Nayyar said India was already adapting AI tools to local contexts, with the government acting as an enabler, user and regulator.

The report’s message to developing economies is to be optimistic, strategic and pragmatic. Countries should adopt available tools, adapt them to local conditions and gradually advance their capabilities, while making cost-conscious choices about infrastructure and technology investments.

It also warns that countries with the greatest potential to benefit from AI may be among the least prepared. Only one of the world’s 25 low-income countries had published a national AI strategy, according to the presentation.

India’s approach is being supported by the IndiaAI Mission, which spans seven pillars: computing capacity, indigenous foundation models, the AIKosh datasets platform, application development, future skills, startup financing, and safe and trusted AI.

The mission aims to widen access to computing resources, data and models while encouraging solutions suited to India’s multilingual population and diverse development needs. Its responsible AI initiatives include work on bias mitigation, algorithm auditing, explainable AI, privacy-preserving systems and deepfake detection.

MeitY secretary S. Krishnan said the report’s recommendations aligned with India’s AI roadmap, which focuses on computing, data and models. He advocated a flexible regulatory approach that relies on existing laws and voluntary compliance while allowing policymakers to revisit rules as the technology evolves.

Krishnan also highlighted the importance of developing human capabilities, saying work was under way on an AI Talent Mission. He added that India’s AI skills could help support the wider Global South, while greater enterprise adoption would be needed domestically.

A high-level panel discussion on Making AI Work for Development in India examined adoption barriers, the need to adapt technology to local requirements and policies to manage AI-related risks.

The panel included World Bank Group executive director Neelkanth Mishra; Lall; Sarvam AI co-founder Vivek Raghavan; Wadhwani AI chief programme officer Neeraj Agrawal; BharatGen vice-president Maneesh Singh; and EkStep Foundation co-founder and chief executive Shankar Maruwada. CNBC-TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan moderated the session.

The discussion highlighted the need to move beyond isolated pilots towards evidence-based deployment, improve access to data and computing resources, strengthen domestic capabilities and establish institutional frameworks that keep solutions relevant to India’s social and economic diversity.

The event also featured a State AI Showcase, where government departments and innovators presented AI-enabled applications addressing local challenges.

Andhra Pradesh showcased Navachetana, an early-screening initiative designed to identify developmental delays in children aged zero to six. Maharashtra presented MahaVISTAAR AI, a platform connecting farmers with personalised agricultural advice, digital services and engagement tools.

Meghalaya highlighted EdskGrid, a GeoAI-based solution for education governance, while Vyuhaa Med Data presented Vyuhaa-Cerviai, a point-of-care cervical cancer screening solution.

The showcase demonstrated how AI applications can be tailored to different public-service requirements, with successful models potentially adapted for use in other regions.

The discussions reinforced the importance of public trust, responsible deployment and inclusive access to AI. The report’s central message is that technological advances alone will not deliver development gains: countries must also build the infrastructure, skills, institutions and policy frameworks needed to translate AI’s potential into reliable services and sustainable outcomes.