As India hosts the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, coinciding with the World Day of Social Justice observed on February 20, policymakers and experts have called for a human-centred approach to artificial intelligence that prioritises social justice, inclusive employment and equitable economic growth.

The summit, described as the first of its kind in the Global South, places India at the centre of global conversations on how AI can be deployed responsibly to benefit people and communities.

AI and the Future of Work

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping workplaces across sectors — from manufacturing and healthcare to finance and governance. The key question, experts argue, is not whether AI will change jobs, but how that change will be managed.

By 2030:

• AI could generate more than 3 million new technology jobs in India.

• Over 10 million existing jobs may be reshaped by automation and AI augmentation.

This transformation presents both risks and opportunities. While productivity gains and innovation may accelerate, concerns remain about job displacement, skill mismatches and widening inequality if policies fail to keep pace.

India at a Critical AI Juncture

India’s AI adoption trajectory underscores the scale of change underway:

• The country has the largest share of monthly active users of the ChatGPT mobile application globally.

• It hosts one of the largest user bases for advanced AI platforms.

This widespread adoption makes India a living laboratory for understanding how AI can influence economic and social systems at scale.

Experts at the summit highlighted that India’s demographic dividend, digital public infrastructure and expanding startup ecosystem position it uniquely to shape AI deployment in ways that align with inclusive development goals.

Human-Centred AI for Social Justice

Speakers stressed that AI systems must be designed and governed to:

• Promote decent work and worker protections.

• Reduce structural inequalities.

• Ensure algorithmic fairness and transparency.

• Support small enterprises and informal workers.

Human-centred AI emphasizes that technology must remain accountable to democratic values, human rights and community welfare, rather than being driven solely by efficiency or profit motives.

Inclusive Growth in the Global South

The summit’s Global South focus is significant. Many developing economies face:

• Limited access to digital infrastructure.

• Uneven skilling and education systems.

• Vulnerability to automation-driven disruption.

Delegates argued that inclusive AI frameworks must include investments in digital literacy, reskilling initiatives and equitable access to AI tools to prevent deepening economic divides.

Policy and Governance Imperatives

To ensure AI advances shared prosperity, experts called for:

• Robust labour market policies.

• Ethical AI standards and regulatory clarity.

• Public-private partnerships for skill development.

• Social dialogue involving workers, employers and civil society.

Transparent governance mechanisms, they said, will be critical to ensuring that AI innovation aligns with broader social objectives.

Conclusion

As India marks the World Day of Social Justice while hosting the AI Impact Summit, the message from New Delhi is clear: artificial intelligence must be harnessed to serve people.

With the potential to create millions of jobs while transforming existing ones, AI represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Whether it drives inclusive growth and equitable development will depend on policy choices, corporate responsibility and sustained commitment to a human-centred vision of technological progress.

India’s AI journey, unfolding at massive scale, may well shape the global template for how technology can be applied for social good.

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