India’s new AI playbook for 2026

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In focus

• A look at how India’s AI ecosystem will transform in 2026
• ​​Coupang’s data leak fallout reigniting the core question from our deep dive: Can its hyper-growth model hold up in Southeast Asia?
• Gojek founder Nadiem Makarim’s involvement in a second corruption probe

Hello reader,

A funny thing happened last week. A relative mentioned a buzzing WhatsApp group called Amsterdam AI Builders, which features 1,000 tech minds sharing the latest in AI. One of the articles making the rounds in the group, he said, was a Tech in Asia piece by someone named Grace Priscilla Teo on why Amazon CTO Werner Vogels thinks “vibe coding” is dangerous.

That relative had no idea that Grace was our AI writer.

Well, that moment revealed something bigger: AI is quietly seeping into our lives in ways we don’t immediately recognize.

Take India. In one government-led program, Sarvam AI’s voice agent made 40 million calls to remind citizens to renew their life insurance policies.

“We have already called nearly 6% of India’s adult population in 10 days,” Aalekh Sharan, who leads the firm’s work in agentic AI and the public sector, told Tech in Asia.

For all the hype sweeping through Silicon Valley about AI bubbles and inflated valuations, India’s AI story is unfolding very differently. It is more grounded, practical, and far more intertwined with everyday life.

Today’s featured story unpacks the forces that will reshape the country’s AI trajectory in 2026 and why this shift matters.

Samreen Ahmad, journalist

Top Story

India’s AI future: Four shifts to watch in 2026

Image credit: Shutterstock (AI image)

Silicon Valley may be whispering about an AI bubble, but in India, the mood is very different. Founders and investors see headroom, not overheating.

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