India has central role to play in both AI’s risks and opportunities: Dario Amodei

India will play a pivotal role in shaping both the opportunities and risks emerging from artificial intelligence as the technology rapidly advances toward superhuman capabilities, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said at the India AI Summit.

Speaking at the global gathering in Bharat Mandapam on Thursday, Amodei described AI’s progress over the past decade as exponential, saying the world may be only a few years away from models surpassing the cognitive abilities of most humans in many domains.

“We are increasingly close to what I call a ‘country of geniuses in a data centre’ — AI systems that can coordinate at superhuman speed,” he said, adding that such capabilities could unlock unprecedented benefits but also introduce serious societal and economic challenges.

Opportunities for health, development and the global south

Amodei said advanced AI could help cure long-standing diseases, dramatically improve global health outcomes, and lift billions of people — particularly in developing regions — out of poverty.

He noted that India has historically pioneered digital practices that later spread across the global south, making it a natural starting point for scaling AI-led development initiatives worldwide.

As part of its expansion in the country, Anthropic this week opened an office in Bengaluru and appointed Irina Ghose as managing director for its India operations. The company also announced partnerships with major Indian enterprises, including Infosys, alongside collaborations with nonprofits such as X Step Foundation, Pratham, and Central Square Foundation.

These initiatives aim to deploy Anthropic’s AI models in areas such as digital infrastructure, education, agricultural productivity, and healthcare, with the broader goal of extending benefits across the global south.

The company is also working with organisations including Karya and the Collective Intelligence Project to evaluate AI model performance across India’s diverse regional languages and practical use cases such as agriculture, legal work, and education.

India’s role in managing risks

Alongside opportunities, Amodei said that India — as the world’s largest democracy — can play a leadership role in addressing AI’s potential risks, including misuse, autonomous behaviour of advanced systems, and economic disruption.

He called for deeper collaboration between technology companies and governments to test and evaluate AI models for safety and security risks, building on emerging global and national AI safety institutes.

Amodei also highlighted the importance of studying AI’s labour-market impact. Through initiatives such as Anthropic’s Economic Futures Program and Economic Index, the company plans to share data and insights with the Indian government and stakeholders to support evidence-based policymaking and workforce adaptation.

While AI is likely to expand economic output significantly, he cautioned that the speed of change could create short-term disruption, requiring coordinated action from policymakers, businesses, and labour groups.

“AI will greatly grow the economic pie, including in India and the global south,” Amodei said, “but we must work together to manage the transition smoothly and ensure prosperity reaches everyone."