The AI gold rush: AI expert Toby Walsh on who wins, who loses, and what's at stake for nations like India

The world is in the grips of what AI expert Toby Walsh called "possibly the biggest gold rush in human history." This isn't just hyperbole; the speed at which companies like OpenAI have transitioned from "no revenue to one year later having a billion dollars annualised revenue" is unprecedented. But as Walsh emphasised, this gold rush isn't just about lines of code; it requires a massive physical infrastructure, making it a game of geopolitical significance.

"We're talking about a $15 trillion opportunity," stated Walsh in an exclusive conversation with Tech Today's Aayush Ailawadi, "and that's what's you know, been estimated. That's going to be added to the world's economy." To put that in perspective, he explains, "That's [the equivalent of] the current economy of India [added] to the current GDP of China." This economic potential is intrinsically linked to the physical infrastructure – "the data centres, [the] underwater, uh, undersea cables" – that nations and tech giants control.

For India, this presents a critical juncture. While possessing the potential to be an AI powerhouse thanks to its vast population and data resources, Walsh cautions: "To have that [economic potential] not being controlled by India, but to be controlled by a few western countries, western companies are, I think, something that should be troubling us all."

India must leverage its strengths: invest in its domestic AI infrastructure, establish data sovereignty, and ensure equitable access to the benefits of AI. The alternative is becoming merely a data source in a gold rush dominated by others.