Ashwini Vaishnaw, Anil Kapoor (Photos: Wikimedia Commons)
Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and actor Anil Kapoor are among the Indians who have been honoured in Time magazine’s prestigious list of 100 “Most Influential People in Artificial Intelligence in 2024”. Released on Thursday, the list highlights the most impactful figures in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
Vaishnaw’s leadership in semiconductor manufacturing
“Under Vaishnaw’s leadership, the country hopes to become one of the top five nations in semiconductor manufacturing, a key component for modern AI systems, within the next five years. Construction of several factories has already begun. However, Vaishnaw faces significant challenges in realizing these ambitions. India’s tech sector struggles with low private investment in R&D and a lack of advanced manufacturing ecosystems. Its education system is also playing catch-up to produce the specialized workforce needed for cutting-edge AI and semiconductor development,” the magazine said of Vaishnaw.
According to Time, India’s journey to becoming a leader in the AI sector could face additional challenges due to high import tariffs on electronic components, global competition for talent and resources, and the complexities involved in rapidly upgrading infrastructure, especially the extensive power and water supply systems required for semiconductor manufacturing.
Anil Kapoor receives recognition for his legal battle against the misuse of AI
Kapoor has been included in Time’s AI list a year after scoring a major legal victory in September 2023, when the Delhi High Court issued an interim order restraining 16 entities from misusing his name, voice, image or other personal traits for commercial purposes without his consent. The actor took legal action in response to the widespread circulation of altered videos and emojis featuring his image and his iconic phrase “jhakaas,” popularized by his 1985 film Yudh.
“Bollywood is one of the world’s largest film industries, with more than 1,500 films made every year. But Kapoor’s move comes at a time when the industry is grappling with how to regulate the misuse of artificial intelligence. Last year, bizarre deepfake videos of popular Indian actresses including Alia Bhatt and Rashmika Mandanna went viral, while AI-generated videos of Indian actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh alarmed the country during this year’s Indian election, where they appeared to criticise Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the magazine said.
Nandan Nilekani’s role in digital public infrastructure is highlighted
Infosys co-founder and EkStep co-founder and chairman Nandan Nilekani also made it to the list. “Nilekani, the billionaire co-founder of Infosys, has spent fifteen years in and out of government developing digital public infrastructure for the world’s most populous country, earning him nicknames like ‘India’s Bill Gates,’” Time wrote of the entrepreneur.
“Nilekani headed India’s Aadhaar program, the world’s largest biometric identity card program. He promoted the program as a balm for welfare fraud, as well as a means to help improve tax collection, facilitate verification of bank customers, and other benefits,” the magazine added.
Other Indians on the list
The list also includes Anant Vijay Singh, product lead at Proton; Rohit Prasad, SVP and Chief Scientist of Artificial General Intelligence at Amazon; Shiv Rao, co-founder and CEO of Abridge; and Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity.
Global AI Influencers: From Hollywood to Silicon Valley
The list also includes world-renowned names such as Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson, YouTuber Marques Brownlee, artist Lawrence Lek, comedian and artificial intelligence creator King Willonius and tech industry leaders such as Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella.
First published: September 5, 2024 | 11:11 PM IS
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