In India, AI is emerging as a practical tool across very different fields. On a farm near Karnal in northern India, farmer Bir Virk tapped an iPad beside his tractor’s steering wheel and activated automatic mode. The machine then harvested potatoes by itself. About 145 kilometers away in New Delhi, educator Swetank Pandey used algorithms to scan and assess handwritten exam papers for India’s highly competitive civil services. In both settings, artificial intelligence was performing important work in the background.

Early users in India say AI can improve efficiency, lower expenses and ease labor demands. The government is also advancing the technology through national programs that support research and workforce training. This week, New Delhi is hosting a five-day AI summit with heads of state and major tech leaders.

Global companies are investing heavily as India, with nearly a billion internet users, becomes a strategic market for AI expansion. Microsoft announced a $17.5 billion investment over four years to expand cloud and AI infrastructure. Google had already announced a $15 billion investment over five years, including plans for an AI hub.

India still lags behind U.S.-based OpenAI and China’s DeepSeek in developing large-scale AI models. Obstacles include limited access to advanced chips and data centers, as well as the challenge of working with hundreds of local languages. Virk said his imported farm system reduced his work time by half, while Pandey’s academy uses a hybrid system in which teachers review AI-assisted grading results.