‘Like Lord Krishna was for Arjuna, there’s no better saarthi for women than AI’: Smriti Irani at the Tata AI Sakhi event

India AI Impact Summit 2026: Just as Lord Krishna enabled Arjuna in the war of Kurukshetra, artificial intelligence is enabling women in the war for empowerment, said former Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani. Irani was speaking at the Tata AI Sakhi Immersion Program, convened at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, on Tuesday. She lauded ordinary Indian women, and urged them to use AI responsibly. 

“Like Lord Krishna was Arjuna’s saarthi (charioteer, indicating guide or mentor), there is no better saarthi for a woman than artificial intelligence. That saarthi does not mount the chariot, it mounts the mobile phone – that’s the only difference,” said Irani at the event, a focused hands-on social-impact workshop to demonstrate how AI can be used as a tool for entrepreneurship and self-empowerment. Business Today & India Today Group acted as the media partner for the event. 

“India is the only country where 10 crore women from self-help groups have handled credit of Rs 12 lakh crore and have returned 96 per cent of the credit in the last 10 years. This is the extraordinary accomplishment of ordinary Indian women. Over 30 lakh women in India who are engaged in handicraft and handloom export goods close to Rs 33,000 crore. If we talk only of the domestic market, then these women do business of Rs 38,000 crore annually,” she said.

Irani said there are 4.90 crore women in the country who are associated with the DISHA (Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice) Scheme, and 2.72 crore women have already gained digital literacy certificates. 

She said there are sometimes constraints in teaching AI to women in rural areas. Irani said, “To that I say, teach the saas (mother-in-law), teach the bahu (daughter-in-law), take the country forward because saas bhi kabhi bahu thi (the mother-in-law was also once the daughter-in-law).” 

“Don’t restrict yourselves to the role of a passenger, you must control the steering wheel of the vehicle of development,” she lauded the approximately 1,600 participants.

Irani urged them to remember that the information that they receive from AI might not always be flawless, and never to share their personal details including their Aadhaar number, bank account number, password, and to use AI responsibly. I hope that you assist the nation economically, socially, and educationally, she said.