Davos: PwC India unveiled its flagship report, AI Edge for Viksit Bharat, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, outlining how artificial intelligence could unlock nearly USD 550 billion in value across five priority sectors – agriculture, education, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing – by 2035 at a nominal level.
The report positions India as a potential global benchmark for deploying AI at national scale in a manner that is both transformative and inclusive.
The AI Edge for Viksit Bharat report provides a detailed blueprint covering actions, ownership models, funding mechanisms, and governance structures required to scale artificial intelligence responsibly for inclusive national growth.
It highlights India’s opportunity to lead globally by embedding AI into development strategies that prioritise equity, transparency, and people-centred outcomes.
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AI Edge for Viksit Bharat: PwC’s 3A2I Framework for National-Scale AI Adoption
At the core of the AI Edge for Viksit Bharat report is PwC’s proprietary 3A2I framework, a system-level playbook designed to position AI as a connected “central nervous system” for India’s development journey.
The framework focuses on building Access to data, infrastructure, and skills; fostering Acceptance through trust, transparency, and ethical safeguards; and enabling Assimilation by embedding AI into real-world workflows.
These pillars are followed by large-scale Implementation and long-term Institutionalisation through policy alignment, governance, and continuous learning.
The report also presents sector-specific AI roadmaps for agriculture, education, energy, healthcare, and manufacturing, detailing how AI can drive measurable impact across productivity, service delivery, and system efficiency.
Sectoral Impact and Real-World AI Use Cases
PwC’s analysis shows that AI can significantly enhance sectoral performance – from improving crop productivity and reducing agricultural waste to strengthening school governance, curbing power theft, accelerating disease detection, and improving manufacturing quality.
The report cites real-world pilots where AI-enabled crop advisories delivered double-digit efficiency gains, smart metering systems flagged high-accuracy power theft cases, and AI-driven tuberculosis detection substantially improved notification rates.
Even modest scaling of such applications could result in savings of hundreds of millions annually.
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Maharashtra Chief Minister Highlights Governance-Led AI Adoption
The report was unveiled by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, who highlighted the role of AI in governance and public service delivery.
He noted that Maharashtra is embedding AI across administrative systems to democratise its impact, supported by strong digital infrastructure and data-driven platforms.
He cited the State’s AI-based application for farmers, available in Marathi, which is being used to understand crop cycles and pesticide usage, alongside initiatives to build an innovative city aligned with Maharashtra’s broader AI agenda.
He also highlighted reforms in ease of doing business, including the decriminalisation of 17 laws and the use of AI to enhance platforms such as MAITRI for industrial investments, aimed at reducing regulatory complexity and red tape.
Industry Leaders on Responsible and Inclusive AI
Commenting on the broader implications of AI adoption, Sanjiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv, emphasised that while AI offers significant productivity gains and improved outcomes, it also brings heightened responsibility.
He noted that by reducing bureaucracy through AI, governments can enable public servants to focus on higher-impact work, advancing the inclusive growth vision articulated in AI Edge for Viksit Bharat.
AI Edge Outcomes Shift the Global AI Narrative
The report introduces the AI Edge framework, defining five tangible outcomes expected from AI deployed at national scale: operational excellence, sustainability, good governance, resilience, and financial discipline.
These outcomes aim to shift the global AI discourse beyond efficiency, focusing instead on transparency, environmental stewardship, system reliability, and inclusive value creation across public and private ecosystems.
PwC India Chairperson Sanjeev Krishan stated that AI represents a nation-building force capable of reshaping growth through a people-first lens.
He underscored the importance of investing in infrastructure, talent, and governance to ensure that innovation and equitable development progress together.
India’s Moment to Set a Global AI Benchmark
Entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath also commented on India’s improving business and policy environment, citing increased policy stability and a stronger ecosystem for innovation.
As India advances toward its Viksit Bharat vision, the AI Edge for Viksit Bharat report underscores a pivotal opportunity for the country to shape a responsible, systemic, and inclusive AI ecosystem.
Through collaboration between government, industry, academia, and civil society, the report notes that India can build an AI-driven growth model that scales responsibly and ensures equitable benefits across communities.
