Artificial intelligence is no longer just a story of innovation; it is a story of power. As supply chains, standards, and institutions harden into new forms of geopolitical leverage, AI is reshaping how states compete and cooperate. With China, the United States, and Europe writing rules in different ways, the question is stark: will India help shape the AI order or live by rules written elsewhere?
We often describe artificial intelligence as “machines that learn.” That is no longer the most interesting part of its evolution. What matters now is that AI is reshaping power rapidly. It is moving from the edges of innovation into national strength by lifting productivity, accelerating military capability, and widening the gap between states that can innovate and deploy at scale and those that cannot. AI is not just a technology story. It is a power story.
AI has become strategic because it is not a one-off purchase. It is an ecosystem you depend on: a stack. At the bottom are inputs such as critical minerals, chipmaking, GPUs, data centres, and the electricity that powers them. In the middle sit capabilities such as talent, training, data, and capital. At the top is diffusion: adoption across government, manufacturing, finance, and public services, along with the rules and standards that determine how AI spreads globally.