Infosys co-founder and India Stack champion Nandan Nilekani believes Artificial Intelligence (AI) will fundamentally reshape India’s future, particularly in education and agriculture. In a recent conversation at his Bengaluru office, Nilekani highlighted that while India Stack has already changed how people access identity and payments through Aadhaar and UPI, the next big wave will be powered by AI. With India crossing 20 billion UPI transactions in a single month, he stressed that similar scale and innovation could be applied to other critical sectors like classrooms and farms.
I am writing about this because Nilekani’s perspective combines technology, governance, and social impact—an area that is often spoken about separately but rarely connected. Education and agriculture form the backbone of India’s development story, and AI has the potential to solve long-standing issues such as access, productivity, and transparency.
By exploring his vision, we can better understand how digital tools can empower students in rural schools and farmers in remote villages alike. It is important to reflect on this shift now because policies, infrastructure, and training need to keep pace with the rapid adoption of AI-driven systems in everyday life.
AI in classrooms: bridging the learning gap
According to Nilekani, AI can make education more personalised and inclusive. For example:
- Adaptive learning platforms can adjust lessons based on a student’s progress.
- AI tutors can help bridge the shortage of teachers in rural India.
- Language translation tools can allow students to learn in their mother tongue while accessing global knowledge.
- Skill-based training through AI-driven simulations can prepare youth for emerging job markets.
He emphasised that AI in education should not replace teachers but empower them with better tools to track student progress and offer support.
AI in agriculture: empowering farmers
Nilekani also noted that India’s farming sector is ripe for AI adoption. Key possibilities include:
- Crop health monitoring using satellite data and AI-driven image recognition.
- Predictive weather models to help farmers plan sowing and harvesting more efficiently.
- Market access platforms that can use AI to link farmers with buyers, improving price realisation.
- Smart advisory services that provide customised recommendations on fertilisers, irrigation, and pest control.
These solutions, if implemented widely, could improve productivity, reduce losses, and ensure farmers are less vulnerable to climate change and market fluctuations.
The road ahead
While AI promises transformative potential, Nilekani underlined the challenges—data privacy, affordability, and equitable access. For India to benefit fully, policymakers must ensure that the technology is inclusive, transparent, and accountable.
