New Delhi, February 11 – Asserting that data is the key to unlocking AI, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi stated on Wednesday that the India-US interim trade deal would make it difficult for India to safely store the data of 1.5 billion Indians, and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pressured to hand over the country's primary resource to a foreign power.
In a post on X, Gandhi said the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution is here, presenting both challenges and opportunities.
"Our IT and services sector, a vital part of our economy, is at risk, and thousands of software engineers and professionals will lose their jobs if we do not prepare for the coming storm," he claimed, adding that there are also opportunities.
"Data is the key to unlocking AI. As I said in Parliament, India's greatest asset is our people – and the vast amount of data we generate," he said.
Noting that the government is hosting a major AI Summit in a few days, Gandhi said this should be an opportunity for India to demonstrate leadership, showcasing how a country of 1.4 billion people can use its data to shape the global AI future on its own terms.
"Instead, a helpless Prime Minister Modi has surrendered to the US 'pressure' in the trade deal. Under the pretext of 'removing barriers to digital trade,' any attempt to use our data for our own benefit will be opposed," he said.
Large foreign companies already have a near monopoly on our data through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Amazon, and Android, and with this deal, India will struggle to safely store the data of 1.5 billion Indians, ensure transparency in their source codes and algorithms, and tax the profits they generate using our data, Gandhi claimed.
"It is a shame that our Prime Minister has been pressured to hand over India's primary resource to a foreign power," he alleged.
Earlier, during the debate on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said that the core of this issue is AI.
"Everyone says that we are entering the era of AI. I want to warn the government that AI will have many consequences. One of those consequences is that something that we relied on – the Congress party and the UPA built the entire Indian IT industry, and companies like Infosys – are going to face challenges," he said.
The idea of becoming a software engineer, which is popular in India, is also going to be challenged," he said.
"When we move into a dangerous world, what is the first thing we need to understand? What are our strengths, as a person and as a nation. So, I would like to say to the House, what I think are the strengths of our great country, and I would say the central strength is our people – 1.4 billion people, intelligent, energetic, and dynamic, who can compete with anyone in the world. They are our greatest strength."
"But, it's not just the people. In the 21st century, people are creating data. So, we have the largest data pool in the world – 1.4 billion people means a massive amount of data is being generated in India, and data is wealth," Gandhi said.
He added that while everyone talks about AI, talking about AI is like talking about the internal combustion engine without talking about petrol.
"The 'fuel' for AI is data – meaning, if you have AI and you don't have data, you have nothing. Now, which are the two biggest data pools on the planet – the Indian pool and the Chinese pool. They (China) also have 1.4 billion people; we have a bigger population than them. We allow more freedom, we allow our people to do more dynamic things, so we have, in fact, more interesting data," he said.
If the Americans want to remain a superpower and if they want to protect their dollar, the key to that is Indian data, he said.
"Why? Because the Chinese have a data pool of 1.4 billion people, and you can take European data, African data, or American data – add it all up – and it still does not compete with Chinese data," Gandhi said.
"So, the real fight that is taking place. I am saying – what are our strengths? I am saying – if India goes to the table, what do we put on the table, what do we say? Listen, this is what we put on the table and it's beautiful. What we put on the table is our people, their wisdom, what they do, their likes, dislikes, their imagination, their fears... This suddenly has value in the 21st century, which it didn't in the 20th century," he said.
"I remember so many people saying that population is a weight, population is a disaster. No! Population is the biggest asset you can have. It's a strength, but it's only a strength, if you recognise that data is important," he said.
The Congress leader also claimed that as part of the deal with the US, India gives up control over its digital trade rules, there is no need for data localisation, there would be free data flow to the United States, a limit on digital tax and there would be no need to disclose any source code.
