Union Information Technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and actor Anil Kapoor are among Indians who have been honoured in
Time magazine's prestigious list of the 100
Most Influential People in AI 2024.
The list, released on Thursday, features 15 Indian or Indian-origin people.
Among them are Sundar Pichai of Google, and Satya Nadella of Microsoft.
Writing about 54-year-old Vaishnaw, the magazine said under his leadership, India hopes to become one of the top five countries for semiconductor manufacturing-a key component for modern AI systems within the next five years.
"Yet, Vaishnaw faces significant challenges in realising these ambitions. India's tech sector struggles with low private R&D investment and a lack of advanced manufacturing ecosystems. Its educational system is also catching up to produce the specialised workforce needed for cutting-edge AI and semiconductor development," it said.
India -- the world's fifth largest economy -- is trying to become a major player in the world of AI, it said.
Kapoor, 67, has been included in Time's AI list after a landmark victory in September 2023 over unauthorised AI use of his likeness.
The actor took up the case after a large number of distorted videos, gifs, and emojis bearing his likeness began circulating online. -- PTI