India has shown AI need not increase the divide between haves, have-notes: IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said what India is doing in AI is phenomenal because its goal is to democratise AI.
- Feb 20, 2026,
- Updated Feb 20, 2026 1:51 PM IST
There is a possibility that artificial intelligence (AI) may increase the gaps between haves and have-nots, but India has shown that it need not be this way, said Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, in an interview with India Today.
Georgieva said the India AI Impact Summit 2026 has not only brought the world together but it has brought the developing world to India to meet with those who are already ahead in the journey.
“What India is doing in AI is phenomenal because the goal of India is to democratise AI,” she said in the interview. The biggest risk we face, said Georgieva, is that “AI is going to open the accordion of opportunities too widely”.
“The haves and the have-nots may have a big distance in between. What India is saying is it need not be that way,” she added.
It is possible to make AI a source of benefit for the whole society, and India is determined to help the rest of the world, especially the Global South, to benefit from AI.
“My two big takeaways: One, AI is already here and the speed with which it is affecting the way we work, we live, and we interact with each other is so high – highest in the history of technological transformation. We risk falling behind if we don't lean forward with everything we have.
Two, it is a tremendous source of excitement and opportunity, but it also brings risks and we have to embrace the opportunities of higher productivity, higher growth, and manage the risks, especially the risks of displacement of workers,” said Georgieva.
The IMF chief said it was very important for the fund to help its members grab the opportunities and manage the risks. She said she learnt a lot about the ways that can be achieved.
Watch the full conversation here:
There is a possibility that artificial intelligence (AI) may increase the gaps between haves and have-nots, but India has shown that it need not be this way, said Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, in an interview with India Today.
Georgieva said the India AI Impact Summit 2026 has not only brought the world together but it has brought the developing world to India to meet with those who are already ahead in the journey.
“What India is doing in AI is phenomenal because the goal of India is to democratise AI,” she said in the interview. The biggest risk we face, said Georgieva, is that “AI is going to open the accordion of opportunities too widely”.
“The haves and the have-nots may have a big distance in between. What India is saying is it need not be that way,” she added.
It is possible to make AI a source of benefit for the whole society, and India is determined to help the rest of the world, especially the Global South, to benefit from AI.
“My two big takeaways: One, AI is already here and the speed with which it is affecting the way we work, we live, and we interact with each other is so high – highest in the history of technological transformation. We risk falling behind if we don't lean forward with everything we have.
Two, it is a tremendous source of excitement and opportunity, but it also brings risks and we have to embrace the opportunities of higher productivity, higher growth, and manage the risks, especially the risks of displacement of workers,” said Georgieva.
The IMF chief said it was very important for the fund to help its members grab the opportunities and manage the risks. She said she learnt a lot about the ways that can be achieved.
Watch the full conversation here: