By Sachin Kotian, Head – Architecture, SAS
2025 presents unprecedented opportunities to enhance inclusion, improve productivity, and make public services more accessible to citizens. Governments are leveraging digital innovations to bridge gaps, foster citizen engagement, and ensure efficient policy execution. By analysing vast datasets, AI enables government organisations to make more informed decisions, automate routine tasks, and offer hyper-personalised citizen interactions.
India is well-positioned to harness AI’s potential. With over 1.38 billion citizens enrolled in Aadhaar and 900 million internet users, digital identity and connectivity provide a foundation for AI-driven services. Programs like Digital India and the National Programme on AI are fostering responsible AI adoption across government organisations, ensuring equitable access to digital services.
Last year, the national-level IndiaAI mission was approved with ₹10,371 Cr to be utilised across various initiatives to accelerate the AI innovation ecosystem in the country – from Data and AI Labs being set up across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities for educational courses to innovation centres that aim to develop and deploy indigenous LMMs. The mission also strives to enable the implementation of responsible AI projects across development tools, assessment checklists, and other governance frameworks.
However, challenges remain. Bridging the rural digital divide, addressing cybersecurity concerns, and ensuring AI models are inclusive and unbiased are crucial steps in achieving AI’s full potential. Equally important is the need to address the ethical and societal risks associated with AI—such as surveillance overreach, loss of privacy, and disinformation or profiling. As AI becomes embedded into governance, transparency must remain at the forefront to maintain public trust.
As we look ahead, several key trends are shaping the future of public services:
Increased focus on responsible AI and data governance
As AI adoption grows in the public sector, ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI systems is critical. Addressing concerns around algorithmic bias, data privacy, and AI-driven decision-making requires well-defined governance frameworks.
Beyond policy, responsible AI also requires inclusive AI model development. This means ensuring datasets represent India’s diverse demographics, embedding ethical AI principles into public-sector solutions, and creating mechanisms for continuous AI auditing and risk assessment. Government-backed AI ethics boards and regulatory sandboxes can further help refine AI applications before large-scale deployment, reducing unintended consequences and bias. In addition, clear policies and practices must be put in place to prevent misuse – as AI becomes more integrated into critical decisions such as welfare distribution or law enforcement, oversight mechanisms must ensure these tools are not used unjustly.
Realising this vision requires active collaboration across the ecosystem—governments, academia, industry, and society. Organisations like SAS are contributing to this collective effort through platforms such as the Coalition for Responsible Evolution of AI (CoRE-AI), where cross-sector collaboration helps shape ethical AI frameworks, drive upskilling, and advance responsible innovation. By working with policy think tanks, and academic institutions, SAS and other stakeholders are helping build the foundations for AI that is not just powerful, but also principled and inclusive.
Public-private collaboration to strengthen digital Infrastructure and upskill the workforce
For digital transformation to be successful, robust infrastructure and a skilled workforce must go hand in hand. The Government is actively establishing AI Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in collaboration with institutions such as AIIMS and IIT Delhi (Healthcare), IIT Ropar (Agriculture), and IIT Kanpur (Sustainable Cities). These CoEs will serve as innovation hubs, accelerating research and technology adoption across sectors. In addition, initiatives like MeitY’s Bhashini program, which develops vernacular-friendly language models, are critical for bridging linguistic barriers and enabling more inclusive digital services for India’s diverse population.
However, digital infrastructure alone is not enough—the workforce must be equipped to leverage these advancements effectively. A recent global study by Coleman Parkes found that while 81% of governments using GenAI reported operational cost savings and 89% saw improved employee satisfaction, only 39% of employees felt adequately trained in GenAI. To close this gap, governments are increasingly collaborating with technology providers, academic institutions, and industry leaders to accelerate AI literacy through specialised training, certifications, and hands-on learning. By integrating upskilling initiatives with infrastructure development, India can ensure that civil servants and public-sector employees are not only equipped with the right tools but also possess the skills needed to drive innovation, enhance efficiency, and improve public service delivery.
SAS has partnered with public sector entities such as MCGM, the Maharashtra Sales Tax Department, Odisha Mining Corporation, and the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation to leverage data-driven innovation for better decision-making and improved citizen outcomes. We have also enhanced a public safety initiative by implementing AI-ML models that transform emergency response mechanisms—making them faster, smarter, and more efficient. Additionally, SAS has supported government organisations in using GenAI to boost productivity and efficiency by scanning large PDF data repositories, retrieving key information, and sharing relevant sources. This not only simplifies information access but also enhances trustworthiness, helping stakeholders make the right decisions at the right time.
GenAI innovation now enhanced with Synthetic Data
The most compelling use case of GenAI in governance is its ability to bridge information asymmetry. For instance, GenAI can help farmers with predictive analytics across various avenues like weather forecasts, pest control measures, and market price trends through interactive, multilingual digital platforms.
Synthetic Data Generation (SDG) enhances the impact of GenAI by addressing data limitations. It enables governments to generate anonymised yet statistically relevant datasets that can be used for policy simulations, urban planning, and public health research. Recognising the potential of SDG, SAS recently acquired Hazy’s synthetic data software to further strengthen our ability to help customers unlock real results with GenAI. By producing realistic data while ensuring privacy protection, SDG can improve AI model training, enhancing decision-making across key sectors like healthcare, education, and infrastructure development. This approach not only mitigates data scarcity challenges but also supports responsible AI deployment by reducing biases in training data.
Shaping the Future of Public Services
India’s vision for Viksit Bharat 2047—a developed, inclusive, and sustainable nation—relies on technological advancements across government organisations. By embracing AI responsibly, investing in digital infrastructure, and upskilling the workforce, India can create a future where technology enhances public services.
The road ahead demands a careful balance between innovation and regulation. AI must not only be effective—it must also be fair and explainable. With a commitment to responsible AI adoption, digital governance, and inclusive service delivery, India is poised to be a global leader in leveraging AI to not only redefine the citizen experience but also pave the way for inclusive, sustainable growth.
