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The IndiaAI Mission, a federal government-supported program aimed at developing a strong artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem in the country, has partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to invite abstracts showcasing scalable AI innovations for healthcare systems, with a special focus on innovators from the Global South. The selected submissions will be featured in a “casebook” highlighting practical applications of AI in health, promoting ethical adoption and digital transformation across the sector. This initiative aligns with India’s broader mission to advance safe and reliable AI development.
- India, WHO push for safe health
- India leads on health AI ethics
- RBI sees India as AI hub
- AI joins RBI fight against fraud
“Shortlisted entries will be invited to contribute a chapter to the casebook on AI health use cases across the Global South, which is set to be launched at the India–AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi in February,” the Ministry of Electronics & IT said in a statement.
“Jointly developed by IndiaAI and WHO, this casebook will serve as a comprehensive reference for policymakers, innovators, and researchers seeking to replicate and scale successfully implemented AI solutions across the Global South. By capturing real-world experiences and lessons, the casebook aims to strengthen responsible AI adoption and accelerate digital transformation in healthcare systems,” it added.
By collaborating with WHO, India has positioned itself as a thought leader in shaping ethical and inclusive AI practices, particularly for healthcare in developing nations.
India recently joined the HealthAI Global Regulatory Network (GRN) as a pioneer member, advancing its commitment to the safe and ethical use of AI in healthcare. The collaboration with HealthAI, the global agency for responsible AI in health, will focus on sharing safety standards, clinical monitoring methods, and regulatory insights to promote trustworthy AI adoption worldwide.
In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that AI can help transform millions of lives by improving health, education, and agriculture, among others. He also announced a joint roadmap with France for developing a safe, secure, and reliable AI ecosystem.
“We must develop open-source systems that enhance trust and transparency. We must build quality data sets free from biases. We must democratize technology and create people-centric applications. We must address concerns related to cybersecurity disinformation and deepfakes, and we must also ensure that technology is rooted in local ecosystems for it to be effective and useful,” Modi stated.
India is expected to use AI and blockchain technology as key catalysts to achieve its $5 trillion economy target by 2027-2028. The world’s most populous nation expects to emerge as a major player worldwide in these technologies and become the third-largest economy after the United States and China.
RBI envisions India as global hub for responsible AI in finance
Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) emphasized that the nation has the potential to become a global center for trustworthy and responsible AI in the financial sector. By balancing innovation with robust regulatory safeguards, India can serve as a model for other developing nations, drawing international talent, investment, and partnerships.
“AI has the potential to significantly expedite financial inclusion through alternative credit scoring models, while language interfaces will remove language barriers and reach digitally limited customers. Investment advice becomes affordable to small investors through robo-advisors,” said T Rabi Sankar, Deputy Governor of RBI.
“But these benefits come with significant risks. AI systems are trained on vast amounts of data. It is natural that the learning from the data would also extend to learning the bias inherent in data. AI systems trained on biased historical data are likely to perpetuate or amplify historical discrimination in, for example, credit profiling, or hiring. Even small biases in training data can lead to systematic exclusion of population groups from accessing financial services. Algorithmic opacity would make it difficult to identify possible biases,” Sankar pointed out.
The RBI has introduced an AI/machine learning-based model, MuleHunter.AI, developed by the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH), in an attempt to tackle digital fraud. The AI model is also expected to help banks deal with the issue of mule bank accounts, a typical tactic fraudsters use to funnel the proceeds of their fraudulent activities.
“Currently, the model has been deployed in about 20 commercial banks. In addition, work is also underway to explore a Digital Payments Intelligence Platform (DPIP), that can analyse and assign a risk score to transactions on a real-time basis,” Sankar informed.
In the short term, Sankar advocated for efforts on awareness and skill development. He said that financial institutions, technology firms, and regulators need to train their teams, strengthen governance mechanisms, and establish preliminary risk frameworks to promote safe AI adoption. Outreach initiatives such as workshops and awareness drives can further help smaller firms and fintech startups use AI responsibly.
In the medium term, adherence to the FREE-AI principles should shape industry practices, according to Sankar. FREE-AI, or Framework for Responsible and Ethical Enablement of Artificial Intelligence, is a committee constituted by the RBI. Its recent report presents a strategic roadmap for all key stakeholders while emphasizing a comprehensive understanding of the opportunities and risks posed by AI.
According to Sankar, AI can begin to enhance supervisory technologies (SupTech), credit evaluation, and financial inclusion. At the same time, the financial sector should craft its own governance models, ethical standards, and self-regulatory mechanisms to complement formal regulation.
In the long term, India can position itself as a global center for responsible AI in finance. By showing that innovation and strong safeguards can coexist, the country can serve as a model for emerging economies and the Global South. Sankar said that financial AI applications must be designed in such a way that they cannot inadvertently destabilize markets, payment systems, or consumer confidence. This approach requires “safety by design” rather than “safety as an afterthought.”
“Safeguards such as digital watermarking of synthetic content should be explored to deter misuse. Internal policies and processes must be revised to embed AI risk assessment into the product lifecycle. Continuous monitoring, stress scenarios, and independent audits should be institutionalised,” he added. “Responsible AI should not be framed merely as a regulatory requirement, but as a matter of business ethics. Every model deployed, every decision automated, and every service enabled through AI must reinforce the confidence of consumers, provide fair access, and respect the dignity and privacy of all participants.”
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