The Morning Brief India AI Impact Summit: Microsoft’s Brad Smith on Sovereignty, Scale and Skills
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Feb 19, 2026 Brad Smith, Microsoft Vice Chair and President who leads the company’s global legal and policy work, discusses Microsoft’s $17B India commitment. He covers infrastructure and skilling investments. He talks about the north–south digital divide. He outlines digital sovereignty, privacy-focused regulation and the need for international collaboration on AI.
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India As A Land Of Digital Opportunity
- Microsoft sees India as a major digital opportunity worth over $17 billion in investment.
- Brad Smith warns digital sovereignty must not chill the capital flows that underpin AI growth.
Avoid Repeating The Electricity Gap
- Uneven AI adoption risks repeating historical north–south technology gaps like electricity.
- Bringing AI to the global south could enable catch-up growth if paired with infrastructure, skills and local applications.
Build Infrastructure And Skills First
- Invest in infrastructure, skilling, local languages and applications to ensure AI benefits reach the global south.
- Microsoft is funding training for students, teachers and nonprofits as part of this multi‑faceted approach.