Budget 2026: India's AI Leap from Testing Ground to Global Proving Ground

• India aims to transform from an AI testing ground to a global proving ground, leveraging past tech successes like UPI and Aadhaar.
• Current government efforts include the IndiaAI Mission, AI Centres of Excellence, and National AI Skilling/Data Platforms.
• Budget 2026 should prioritize large-scale deployment incentives and outcome-linked funding for AI startups.
• Key areas for further investment are access to GPU compute, national model labs, and a multilingual voice/text corpus.
• India's diverse, outcome-driven market provides a unique environment for developing globally scalable AI solutions.

Why It Matters: Budget 2026 can propel India to global AI leadership through strategic investment and policy.