Is STEM India’s Oscars and Olympics?

Why does India not perform strongly in the Olympics, despite its vast population from which one might expect many top athletes to emerge? Or why do Bollywood films rarely win major awards at the Oscars, even though the country produces new films almost every week?

It is often argued that India does not perform as strongly in fields where it lacks a long and significant cultural tradition. Instead of Olympic medals or Academy Awards, India has excelled particularly in STEM fields. The country has built its expertise in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics over decades. This is reflected in its strong technological capabilities, the large number of engineering graduates, and its dynamic IT sector.

This legacy also forms the foundation of India’s artificial intelligence strategy. AI is part of the Viksit Bharat 2047 initiative and the broader ambition to position India as a global center of the knowledge society.

Towards a Knowledge Economy and Technological Self-Reliance

India’s economic growth has been remarkable, 7% a year. The country aims to position itself as a knowledge-driven economy alongside its goal of economic self-reliance. In other words, India seeks to develop into a knowledge economy. Expertise, research, and innovation serve as key drivers for economic growth.

Closely linked to this vision is the idea of technological self-reliance. India does not want to remain merely a user or assembler of global technologies. In a recent seminar, Indian professor gave an example from aerospace technology; India doesn’t want to only assemble the parts of an airplane in the warehouse. India wants to manufacture the parts and design in India and then ensemble the plane here, so it is Indian made starting from the planning. The same goal goes to developing and manufacturing technology domestically for domestic use and then offer the Indian solutions globally.

Artificial intelligence is seen as playing a central role in achieving this transition. AI technologies can accelerate research, automate industrial processes, and support the development of new innovations across sectors. At the same time, AI can help train a new generation of skilled professionals capable of developing and maintaining India’s own technological infrastructure.

Sanskrit and AI Language Models

India’s AI development also strongly relates to language. For India, it is important to develop its own AI models that are rooted in the country’s languages and cultural context. Models coded and based on Sanskrit may help India to develop models that answer to Indian problems and serve the Indian users.

Many modern Indian languages are historically rooted in Sanskrit, which acts as a linguistic foundation for a large part of the subcontinent’s language family. When AI language models are built on this linguistic structure, they can more effectively process and understand Indian languages.

This also has important implications for knowledge production and usage. If AI models are primarily trained on English-language data, they often reflect Western perspectives and use cases. India’s goal is therefore to develop AI systems that better serve the country’s own societal needs, languages, and cultural contexts.

In this sense, the development of AI is closely linked to broader questions of cultural and technological sovereignty.

Democratizing Energy Networks and Building a Digital Society

Infrastructure is another key foundation for technological development. India aims to democratize access to energy and electricity across the entire country. This involves expanding energy distribution networks so that electricity and other resources can be made available more evenly across regions.

As access to electricity improves, digital infrastructure also strengthens. Electricity enables internet connectivity, the use of digital devices, and access to online services. In this way, energy policy and technology policy are closely intertwined.

Through the internet and digital platforms, education, knowledge, and learning materials can reach a much larger population. This is particularly important in a country with a vast population and significant regional disparities.

Transforming Education in the Age of AI

India’s education system is currently undergoing significant transformation. New curricula aim to move away from rote memorization toward more experiential forms of learning. Students are encouraged to observe, experiment, and actively build their own understanding. Teachers, in turn, are expected to equip students with critical tools that help them interpret information, analyze observations, and understand the societal impacts of technology.

This pedagogical shift is particularly important in the age of artificial intelligence. When vast amounts of information are available, the key skill becomes the ability to evaluate and interpret that information.

India as a Regional Example in South Asia

Many South Asian countries are still developing economies that look to India as a regional example in areas such as technology, digitalization, and educational reform. India’s large population, rapidly growing technology sector, and extensive education system position it as an important trendsetter in the region. Several countries observe India’s experiences in applying AI and reforming education systems.

Another development is the narrowing of the gender gap in technology and AI-related skills, at first glance. India produces the highest number of women graduates on STEM-areas. India’s Ministry of Education recently reported that more girls and women passed the natural sciences path in high school, than the social sciences path. Increasing numbers of women are entering STEM education and technology fields, strengthening India’s talent base. However, the pipe for women entering to the working life in STEM sector is leaking. The biggest leak in India’s STEM pipeline occurs during the transition from education to the research workforce. This is caused by a combination of social, structural, and systemic factors and manifests as a position gap that prevents many highly educated women scientists from participating in long-term scientific research careers. India needs to pay attention to realizing the skills and potential that the women of the STEM-sector have in developing the knowledge-economy, India is trying to reach.

A more diverse workforce is expected to contribute to more balanced and inclusive technological solutions. This development will reinforce India’s role as a regional model for building an innovative and inclusive digital economy.

The Road Ahead

India’s ambition to become a leading global player in artificial intelligence is built on several interconnected factors: a strong STEM tradition, ambitious education reforms, technological self-reliance, and the development of AI rooted in the country’s own languages and cultural context.

When these ambitions are realized, India will emerge in the coming decades as one of the world’s key centers of AI and technological expertise. This makes India an important example for the broader South Asian region. In other words: India’s Olympics and Oscars will be handed in STEM -sector and the women of India are a key player in these Olympics.
 

Liisa Toivonen
liisa.toivonen(at)gov.fi