Rajat Khare on How India Can Lead the Global Tech Revolution by Retaining Its AI Talent

India finds itself at a pivotal moment in the global technological shift. As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes industries and economies, the country’s potential to lead is stronger than ever—thanks to its massive talent pool of engineers and data scientists. But despite this strength, one persistent issue threatens to hold India back: brain drain.

“India’s tech talent pool is one of its most significant assets, but more and more talent is leaving for better returns,” says Rajat Khare, a venture capitalist and the founder of Luxembourg-based investment firm Boundary Holding. Despite the fact that roughly 15% of the world’s AI talent is attributed to India, much of that expertise is now fueling innovation in labs and startups abroad. “This abundance is not serving India’s technological interests as it ideally should,” Khare warns.

The Rise of Indian AI

India is not short on ambition. The government is actively working on a homegrown large language model (LLM)—an AI system intended to rival the likes of ChatGPT. Powered by over 18,600 GPUs, this project symbolizes India’s readiness to compete at the global level.

What sets India's AI journey apart is its multilingual focus. With 22 official languages and hundreds of dialects, the country is uniquely positioned to build AI tools that cater to a vast and diverse population. This gives India a powerful edge, one that goes beyond English-dominant models being developed in the West.

Why Is Talent Still Leaving?

Despite the momentum, thousands of skilled Indian tech professionals continue to migrate abroad each year, seeking higher salaries, global research exposure, and better institutional support. “India has talent. What it lacks—too often—is the environment to nurture and reward it,” the article points out. The divide between academia and industry, limited public funding, and uncompetitive pay are all contributing to this exodus.

Khare emphasizes the urgency of bridging this gap. He advocates for stronger industry-academia collaboration and a deeper commitment to funding AI research and startups, signaling that India must act now to reverse the trend.

What Needs to Change?

To truly establish itself as an AI powerhouse and keep its brightest minds from leaving, India must:

Fund AI research: Establish AI centers of excellence not just in metro cities, but across tier-2 and tier-3 towns to democratize innovation.

Make staying worthwhile: Introduce AI fellowships, incentivize PhD programs, and offer compensation on par with global standards.

Support deep-tech startups: Fuel the startup ecosystem with capital and mentorship focused on solving India-specific challenges through AI.

Build international linkages: Encourage Indian-origin researchers working abroad to contribute to national projects, even remotely.

Showcase global ambition: Events like the 2026 Global AI Summit in India can signal India’s intention to set—not follow—the global AI agenda.

“India’s economy is positioned to reach $10 trillion in the near future. That means the opportunities available here will be globally competitive,” Khare adds, reinforcing the need to align opportunity with national ambition.

India's Multilingual Advantage

India’s multilingualism isn’t just a challenge—it’s a strategic advantage. A domestically built AI that understands Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, and Marathi—both linguistically and culturally—could drive inclusive development at an unprecedented scale.

Such tools have the potential to serve rural communities, enable regional businesses, and support government outreach programs in ways that generic, English-centric tools simply can’t. In this way, AI becomes a social development tool—not just a business driver.

Conclusion: Time to Lead from Within

India is no longer merely the world’s back office for tech. It has everything needed to become a global leader in AI—if it can retain and empower its talent. “The government has been actively promoting AI… but the real test will be how well we retain and nurture talent. That will decide whether we lead or follow,” concludes Rajat Khare.

The time has come to transform brain drain from a national weakness into a solvable challenge. By investing in thinkers, supporting risk-takers, and building a fertile innovation ecosystem, India can ensure that the next wave of global AI breakthroughs happens—not in Silicon Valley—but on Indian soil.

Source: The information provided in this article is based on available source link.