India (Commonwealth Union)_ India has nominated the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras) to become a Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence under the United Nations. The announcement was made by S Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), during a high-level UN event in New York. The event, held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, was co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and Kenya, with support from the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (ODET).
This office is instrumental to furthering the UN’s capacity to respond to the quickly changing digital landscape, especially in the challenging area of AI governance. As part of this program, ODET is developing a connected network of Artificial Intelligence Centres of Excellence across the globe, with governments from countries everywhere establishing leading institutions as partners in ODET. Krishnan spoke specifically to India’s goal of making artificial intelligence inclusive and accessible, especially in the Global South. “In today’s world, capacity is the new connectivity,” he stated, while emphasizing the need to build the necessary skills and capacity to close the widening gaps globally in AI.
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India’s nomination of IIT-Madras demonstrates its commitment to advancing AI for the greater good. The institute is well recognized as an engineering and technology leader, with a strong focus on AI research and innovation. IIT-Madras is intended to play an important role in training people, exchanging knowledge, and promoting the development of ethical AI around the world by joining the United Nations’ global AI network. Krishnan also highlighted India’s overall national AI efforts. He announced that India will host the AI Impact Summit in February 2026 and invited countries, companies, and researchers to participate.
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Under its “India AI” mission, the country has been rapidly scaling up its AI infrastructure. India currently has access to 38,000 GPUs and hosts more than 300 open-source AI models, with more being added regularly. The government also plans to train around 10 million people in AI-related skills every year, ranging from basic data work to advanced research. “If we get people, compute, data, and safety right, we can close the AI gap more quickly—and more fairly—before it grows too wide,” Krishnan said. IIT-Madras has already been active in this space. In late 2024, its technology innovation hub, Pravartak Technologies Foundation, launched the Centre for Human-Centric Artificial Intelligence (CHAI).
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The purpose of this Centre is to ensure that AI not only meets technical requirements but also benefits people and communities. CHAI seeks to produce technology that is consistent with societal ideals, stimulates entrepreneurship, and cultivates competent human capital through partnerships with academics, business, and government. Already, the Centre is collaborating on significant national projects with the Supreme Court of India, Sansad TV (the Indian Parliament’s broadcasting platform), and the Indian Army. Importantly, the Center is responding to growing concerns about AI safety and regulation. It seeks to promote responsible development by recognizing potential dangers and contributing to frameworks that balance innovation and safety. This work is particularly important for India, which is creating its own AI governance models adapted to its society.
The CHAI Centre was formally launched at the IIT-Madras Research Park on November 14, 2024. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Lt. Gen. K.S. Brar, AVSM, General Officer Commanding, Dakshin Bharat Area; Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT-Madras; Dr. M.J. Shankar Raman, CEO of Pravartak Technologies Foundation; and Prof. Gaurav Raina, the Centre’s Chief Scientist. Going forward, the Centre will continue to focus on three key goals of maximizing human potential, protecting citizens, and enhancing culture in the context of technology. The Centre will continue to work in key areas such as AI language models, ethics of AI, and inclusionary innovations for the benefit of India and the world. As a member of the UN network, IIT-Madras will contribute to imagining a future in which AI is simultaneously powerful and purposeful.
