New Delhi [India], February 17 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the convergence of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) marks the 'next frontier of inclusive development,' asserting that India's experience offers practical lessons for the Global South.

Speaking exclusively to ANI, PM Modi emphasised that India's digital transformation was built on replicable principles that prioritised public good and inclusion over proprietary interests.

'India's Digital Public Infrastructure journey offers crucial and practical lessons for the Global South. The convergence of DPI and AI is the next frontier of inclusive development. Our success with Aadhaar, UPI and other digital public goods was not accidental. It stemmed from a few replicable principles,' the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister elaborated that India built its digital architecture as a public good. 'First, we built digital infrastructure as a public good, not a proprietary platform. This open and interoperable architecture allowed innovation to flourish on top of a common base layer. Second, we designed for scale and inclusion from day one. Our systems work for 1.4 billion people, irrespective of their socio-economic status, literacy level, region or language,' he said.

Highlighting the potential of AI layered over DPI, PM Modi said governance can become significantly more responsive and efficient.

'AI can improve welfare targeting, strengthen fraud detection, enable predictive maintenance of infrastructure, support urban planning, and enhance transparency in public systems. We understand the importance of robust digital infrastructure, strong data privacy protections, thoughtful regulatory frameworks and AI literacy across society,' he noted.

With its human-centric DPI model, the Prime Minister said India is well positioned to ensure that AI benefits reach farmers in villages, students in small towns, MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, informal workers and youth across rural and urban India.

'Technology must serve every citizen, regardless of geography, gender or income. The goal is not AI adoption for its own sake. It is AI that genuinely empowers citizens and accelerates India's journey toward becoming a developed nation by 2047, and offers a scalable model for the Global South,' he added.

Digital Public Infrastructures (DPI) has been developed across various domains, aimed at enhancing accessibility, efficiency, and inclusivity. Aadhaar is the world's largest digital identity programme that provides biometric and demographic-based unique digital identity, which can be authenticated anytime, from anywhere and also eliminates duplicate and fake identities, according to the Ministry of Electronics & IT statement.

Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is India's leading digital payment platform. In the month of June 2024 alone more than 1,388 Crore financial transactions were done through UPI.

DigiLockern has facilitated more than 30 crore users and made available 675 crore issued documents. Several fintech companies, working in the banking and financial sector, are using DigiLocker for easy on boarding of users.

The Government of India has also taken several measures to enhance the reach of Indian Digital Public Infrastructure at the national and international levels. India Stack Global has been developed and rolled out with the aim to share the success of Indian DPIs with the global community and to facilitate replication in friendly countries. Global DPI Repository - Under Indian Presidency of G20 in 2023, Global DPI Repository (GDPIR) portal was designed, developed and rolled out by India.

India has signed MoUs on cooperation in the field of sharing successful digital solutions implemented at population scale with 10 countries namely Armenia, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda, Papua New Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, Tanzania, Kenya, Cuba and Colombia, a release added. (ANI)