Washington: Artificial Intelligence is advancing at such a rapid pace that the policy decisions governments make in the coming years will determine the economic growth, global strength, and social stability of their countries, said technology entrepreneur Ramesh Wadhwani.
Delivering the keynote address at a major CSIS conference ahead of India’s upcoming AI Impact Summit, Wadhwani stated that AI is entering a new era defined by autonomous “AI agents” capable of planning, executing, and learning with limited human supervision.
Referring to early generative AI tools, he said, “What was breakthrough technology three years ago now seems outdated. The world is moving towards AI agents that can assist human workers, replace them, and eventually surpass them.”
Wadhwani highlighted that there were fewer than 5 million AI agents in 2025, but this number could grow by over 200 percent annually in the next five years. These AI agents will collaborate, take over many tasks, and manage entire business operations.
He emphasised that this transformation is not a distant vision 50 years away but a change expected within just five years.
Wadhwani also pointed out that while AI is progressing rapidly, governments are struggling to keep pace with regulations. He compared this to the invention of the telephone, where policies emerged decades after the technology’s arrival.
According to him, AI policies will impact five major areas – geopolitics and national security, economic growth, business competitiveness, innovation speed, and social stability. He asserted that AI policy will decide who wins and who falls behind.
Comparing different countries, he noted that the US promotes innovation with lighter regulations, Europe enforces strict rules through AI laws, and China adopts AI under political control.
Regarding India, Wadhwani said the focus is on economic growth and large-scale AI adoption. He described India as a land of practical innovation in AI.
He explained that India is concentrating on usage-based AI solutions rather than expensive complex models. Additionally, large-scale skill development is underway with relatively fewer regulations. India aims to be among the top three AI powers globally, after the US and China.
Wadhwani estimated that AI could contribute between 1 and 1.5 trillion dollars to India’s GDP in the next five years. While some jobs will be lost due to automation, millions of new jobs will also be created.
He added that the AI Impact Summit in India demonstrates that global AI discussions have moved beyond ideas to focus on real-world applications, especially for implementation and development in the Global South.
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