December 24, 2025
NEW DELHI – When Time magazine announce d the “Architects of AI” as its Person of the Year for 2025, the world paused to acknowledge a historic turning point. Artificial intelligence, once a curious experiment in computer labs, has now become a civilizational force – a phenomenon reshaping economies, cultures, and global power structures. Time declared 2025 as the year when the potential of AI “roared into view,” marking a moment from which humanity can no longer turn back. For delivering the age of thinking machines, Time chose not an individual but a collective, symbolizing that this revolution belongs to many minds across continents. This monumental announcement also rekindles the long legacy of Time’s Person of the Year, a tradition that began in 1927 to spotlight the most influential force of the past year – for good or for ill. From Roosevelt to Gandhi, from scientists to social movements, the Person of the Year has chronicled the shifting currents of global history.
Very few Indians have found their place in this storied list: Mahatma Gandhi, named in 1930 during the height of India’s nonviolent struggle, and later Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noted for his imprint on global diplomacy and domestic transformation. Their presence reflected not only individual stature but India’s growing significance in the world. This year’s choice – the pioneers of AI – signals something much bigger. It marks the dawn of a new technological epoch. It also opens a powerful opportunity for India, a nation that stands today as the most influential voice of the Global South and the largest English-speaking society in the world.
At the intersection of demographic strength, technological ambition, and global diplomatic leadership, India finds itself perfectly positioned to help shape the rules, ethics, governance, and vision of the AI revolution. In global forums, India has already become the most persuasive advocate of equitable digital access. After successfully championing digital public infrastructure, digital payments, space demo cratization, and cross-border technological cooperation, India now sees an even larger possibility: an AI alliance for the Global South. At a time when most AI technologies are monopolized by a handful of nations and corporations, India recognizes the urgent need for a platform where developing nations can collaborate, innovate, and share AI tools responsibly.
This is not merely a diplomatic initiative; it is a moral imperative – ensuring that billions of people are not left behind in the greatest technological transformation of the century. India’s aspiration to float an AI alliance is both logical and strategic. As the world’s largest English-speaking population, with millions of engineers, coders, designers, and thinkers, India holds a linguistic and human- capital advantage that seamlessly integrates into the global AI ecosystem. English has become the programming language of global AI, and India’s demographic edge provides a natural bridge between the Global North and Global South.
This creates a moment of historic opportunity: India can simultaneously absorb global technologies and export its own innovations, both in terms of software and policy frameworks. Events like AI Summit 2026 underscore this trajectory. With world leaders, innovators, corporations, universities, and policymakers converging in India, the Summit signals the country’s ambition to not just participate in the AI era but to lead it. India is increasingly viewed as the convenor of responsible AI, the voice that emphasizes safety, fairness, transparency, and inclusivity.
Unlike many Western approaches driven purely by market logic, India’s vision incorporates social equity – using AI to improve agriculture, healthcare, language access, skilling, and governance for the many and not just the elite. At home, India’s talent engine is firing at full steam. Cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai have become AI laboratories for the world. Star tups are experimenting with generative AI in Indian languages, developing tools that democratize information, enhance productivity, and reduce inequalities. AI-powered diagnosis is entering rural clinics; AI tutors are entering classrooms; predictive models are helping farmers face climate volatility. India’s unique ability to scale solutions to millions gives it an unparalleled advantage in shaping the practical future of artificial intelligence.
Yet this technological transformation is not occurring in isolation. It is part of a paradigm shift that is rewriting the world’s economic and cultural codes. Work culture has changed irreversibly. The traditional office is evolving into hybrid spaces. AI assistants draft documents, analyze data, improve research, enhance creativity, and automate repetitive tasks. Human beings are moving from manual execution to conceptual supervision. Productivity is rising, but so is the need for reskilling, adaptation, and continuous learning. A job is no longer a static role but a living process, constantly influenced by technological evolution.
For India, this shift offers both challenges and unprecedented opportunities. With a young population and fast-growing economy, India can become the global hub of AI talent. But it must also prepare its workforce for a world where machines perform routine tasks and humans focus on judgment, ethics, imagination, and empathy. Fortunately, India’s cultural flexibility, linguistic versatility, and entrepreneurial spirit provide a strong foundation for embracing this era of rapid transformation. Diplomatically, India is already being viewed as the rising power of the Global South – a role earned through humanitarian gestures, vaccine diplomacy, peacekeeping efforts, and the ability to bridge diverse perspectives.
As AI becomes the new engine of geopolitical competition, India’s inclusive approach stands out. Nations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific are looking to India for partnership that respects sovereignty and promotes shared prosperity. An AI alliance under India’s guidance could become a historic platform,much like the Non-Aligned Movement of the 20th century or the G20 presidency that showcased India’s convening power. This is where the symbolic power of Time’s Person of the Year intersects with India’s vision. The “Architects of AI” remind the world that the future will be shaped not by borders but by ideas; not by weapons but by intelligence; not by conflict but by innovation. In this landscape, India’s rise is not opportunistic – it is inevitable.
The world is witnessing a moment of extraordinary transition, a once-in-a-century shift comparable to the Industrial Revolution or the birth of the internet. Technologies are changing, institutions are adapting, and humanity is learning to coexist with thinking machines. But amid this whirlwind of change, one truth remains timeless: the only thing that never changes is change itself. Civilizations that embrace transformation thrive; those that resist, decline. India today stands on the right side of this historical tide. The AI century is not merely beginning – it is accelerating.
And India, with its demographic strength, ethical vision, diplomatic stature, and technological ambition, is ready not just to participate but to lead. As the global order rearranges itself around intelligence – both human and artificial – India’s role as champion of the Global South and architect of an inclusive AI future will define its place in history. The age of thinking machines has arrived. The world cannot turn back. But with nations like India stepping forward, it can move ahead with purpose, with responsibility, and with hope.