New Delhi, February 19: Leading tech entrepreneur Vinod Khosla has proposed a groundbreaking vision for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to uplift India’s underprivileged population by driving transformative change in education, healthcare, and agriculture. Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Khosla stressed the urgent need for AI to directly benefit the bottom half of the population, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Khosla, the founder of Sun Microsystems, outlined a plan to deploy AI on a large scale within the next 1-2 years, aiming to make an immediate and substantial impact on the lives of over 1.5 billion people in India. “The true success of AI will only be realized if it helps the bottom half of the population. Without this, we won’t see real change,” he stated.
Priority Areas for AI Implementation
Khosla identified three key areas where AI could revolutionize access to essential services: AI-based personal tutors, 24/7 AI doctors, and AI-powered agronomy assistants. His proposals aim to democratize education, healthcare, and farming services, especially in areas where traditional infrastructure is lacking.
AI in Education: Empowering Rural Students
In the realm of education, Khosla highlighted the critical lack of adequate academic support for millions of children, particularly in rural India. He proposed the introduction of AI tutors to bridge the gap, especially in areas where teachers are scarce or absent. "In rural India, where teachers often don’t show up, AI tutors can offer crucial support to students who would otherwise be left behind,” he noted.
Referring to global efforts, Khosla pointed to the CK-12 Foundation, a non-profit initiative led by his wife, which provides AI-driven learning support. He revealed that around 4 million students in India have already benefited from AI tutors, which align with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the National Education Policy (NEP). These AI tools are available in multiple languages, including English and other official Indian languages.
Khosla also spoke about ongoing efforts to upgrade the government’s digital learning platform, DIKSHA. "We are working with Sarvam in India to create DIKSHA 3.0, an AI-first system designed to improve the learning experience for students and provide a teacher development curriculum," he explained.
AI in Healthcare: 24/7 AI Doctors for All
On the healthcare front, Khosla proposed the introduction of AI-powered doctors available 24/7 at little to no cost. These AI systems would be capable of offering primary care, managing chronic diseases, and providing mental and physical health services, including nutrition coaching. "These AI doctors could also triage cases and escalate critical issues to human doctors when necessary," Khosla added, emphasizing that life-threatening conditions would always be handled by medical professionals.
Integrating AI into India’s Digital Infrastructure
Khosla suggested integrating these AI services into India’s existing digital infrastructure, including Aadhaar and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). He proposed the creation of a Section 8 non-profit organization to develop, implement, and eventually transfer AI-driven services in education, healthcare, and agriculture to the Aadhaar ecosystem. "We want to build and operate these AI services and then transfer them to Aadhaar, ensuring access to essential services for every Indian,” Khosla said.
AI in Agriculture: Empowering Farmers with Technology
In the agriculture sector, Khosla called for the development of a voice-first, multilingual AI assistant designed to serve India’s farmers. This tool would assist with crop and pest diagnosis, offer weather-based advisories, and provide guidance on irrigation, nutrition, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). By using data from IMD and ICAR-GKMS, the AI assistant would also offer crop calendar recommendations, enabling farmers to make informed decisions.
Khosla concluded by reiterating the importance of scaling AI initiatives to uplift those who need it the most. "AI must be used as a tool to bridge the gap for India's underserved population. By focusing on education, healthcare, and agriculture, we can create a more equitable society and empower the nation's bottom half," he said.
This vision could reshape India's digital landscape, ensuring AI serves as a catalyst for inclusive growth and development.
