USIAI will serve as a platform to discuss opportunities, challenges, and barriers for bilateral AI research and development collaboration, enable AI innovation, help share ideas for developing an AI workforce, and recommend modes and mechanisms for catalysing partnerships, the statement added.

Speaking at the curtain raiser of the launch ceremony organised by IUSSTF on March 17, DST secretary Ashutosh Sharma emphasised the necessity to scale up the S&T relationship between India and the United States to solve problems of both countries and overcome barriers for growth.

Sharma said research, technology in artificial intelligence is being promoted and implemented in the country through a network of 25 technology hubs working as a triple helix set up under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). He also pointed out the recent policies to liberalise India's geospatial policies.

Jonathan Margolis, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, US Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, said the collaboration between India and United States is based on shared values of openness, transparency, and reciprocity and encourages innovation that will benefit both countries. ''The US-India strategic partnership can be strengthened by focusing on AI cooperation in critical areas that are priorities for both countries,'' he added.

''Two large democracies of the world can do wonders by creating synergies and collaboration, and the time is right to launch such initiative. We are looking forward for more research and high-impact collaboration to boost both the economies, create jobs, and bring prosperity,'' Sethuraman ''Panch'' Panchanathan, Director, National Science Foundation (NSF), pointed out.

Kris Gopalakrishnan, chairman of Axilor Ventures, said research is incomplete if 20 per cent of the world's population, which is in India, is not part of it. India scores in diversity, and diversity is very important for research. India is rich in data and banking on the strength of both countries, these global collaborations help them both, he noted. ''The AI Initiative is another example of IUSSTF's critical role in catalysing collaborations between India and the US in cutting-edge areas of science and technology,'' said Nandini Kannan, Executive Director IUSSTF.

The US-India AI Initiative will provide an opportunity for key stakeholder groups to share experiences, identify new R&D areas and opportunities that would benefit from synergistic activities, discuss the emerging AI landscape, and address the challenges of developing an AI workforce, the statement added.

The ambitious flagship initiative, USIAI, leverages IUSSTF's ability to bring together key stakeholders from India and the United States to create synergies that address challenges and opportunities at the interface of science, technology, and society, it said. Over the next year, IUSSTF will conduct a series of roundtables and workshops to gather input from different stakeholder communities and prepare White Papers that identify technical, research, infrastructure, and workforce opportunities and challenges, and domain-specific opportunities for R&D in healthcare, smart cities, materials, agriculture, energy, and manufacturing, the statement added.