Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]: Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), has termed artificial intelligence (AI) as the biggest technological transformation of this generation. Speaking at Mumbai Tech Week 2025 at the Jio World Centre, he emphasized AI’s potential to push India towards a 10% economic growth rate in the coming years.
During a fireside chat with Dream11 CEO Harsh Jain, Ambani highlighted the critical role of AI in shaping the nation’s digital future.
“I think AI is the biggest technology change that we have seen in our lifetime till date. And in my view, it is the engine that will empower India to grow at 10 per cent or double-digit growth numbers for the foreseeable future,” he said.
Three Key Areas for AI Growth in India
To make India a global AI leader, Ambani stressed the need to focus on three fundamental areas:
- AI Infrastructure
- Research & Development (R&D)
- Skilled Talent
1. AI Infrastructure
Ambani underscored the importance of world-class AI infrastructure for India’s digital transformation. He revealed that Jio is already working on this, referencing the company’s AI data center in Jamnagar, which will have a gigawatt capacity.
“At Jio, we are already doing that. We recently announced in Jamnagar that we’re building our AI data center, which will be a gigawatt capacity data center, but continuing to invest at the infrastructure level,” he said.
2. Research & Development (R&D)
Apart from infrastructure, Ambani stressed the need for deep AI research. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s AI vision and emphasized that long-term investments in R&D will be crucial for India’s leadership in AI.
“We continue to invest in deep research and deep development that comes from that research. And then finally, I think the proof of the pudding is to invest in the right talent.”
3. Skilled AI Talent
Ambani highlighted the importance of talent acquisition in AI, stating that India must attract top professionals and foster innovative ideas. He revealed that Jio has already built a strong AI team of over a thousand data scientists, researchers, and engineers.
“At Jio, we’ve already invested in our overall full-stack AI team, which is led by data scientists, researchers, and engineers to be a thousand plus. The critical element in this, I feel, is also to foster new ideas and push the boundaries of development.”
AI Will Transform Jobs, Not Replace Them
Addressing concerns about AI replacing human jobs, Ambani argued that AI would transform industries rather than eliminate employment. He compared AI’s evolution to the rise of the internet, which led to the birth of fintech, e-commerce, and the creator economy.
“When the Internet was created, no industries were born. You know, fintech was born, e-commerce was born, a creator economy was born,” he explained.
He pointed out that platforms like YouTube and Instagram have allowed content creators to earn a full-time living, which was unimaginable decades ago. Similarly, AI will generate new job opportunities rather than take them away.
“I’m a firm believer that AI will transform jobs.”
Conclusion
Mumbai Tech Week 2025 brought together industry leaders, innovators, and technology enthusiasts to discuss the future of AI. Akash Ambani’s insights reinforce that India is positioning itself as a global AI powerhouse, with strong investments in infrastructure, R&D, and skilled professionals.