Indias AI ambition spans full tech stack; combines domestic impact, global outlook: Ericsson CTO

New Delhi, Feb 22 (PTI) India’s AI ambition, spanning the entire technology stack, aims to drive innovation across the domestic ecosystem while also contributing globally, Ericsson’s senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Erik Ekudden has said.

Ekudden told PTI that the evolution of networks will be central to the AI journey. While AI is already being used to optimise 5G networks today, the future will see the rise of agentic AI or AI agents, and eventually physical AI such as robots and humanoids.

However, he underlined that full benefits of such advances will only be realised with robust, AI-powered connectivity, with 5G evolving toward AI-native 6G networks in the years ahead.

Ekudden said diffusion of AI in telecom is aiding in operations, dimensioning and running the networks in the most efficient way, with humans in the loop.

India’s AI ambition reflects a clear push to drive innovation across the entire technology stack, not just domestically but with global impact, he said underlining that strong local innovation combined with collaborations will be key to unlocking the full potential of Artificial Intelligence which is “inherently a global phenomenon”.

“What I understand from India’s ambition when it comes to AI, and certainly across the stack, is really helping and driving innovation across the Indian ecosystem, and I would say also globally because AI being a very global phenomenon, will benefit from strong local innovation, but also collaboration across the world. And I think this is really what we are betting on,” he said.

Ekudden added that this is the approach Ericsson is backing, working closely with its customers, ecosystem partners and universities in India to help the country remain at the forefront of both advanced connectivity and to support vision of AI development.

“With the human in the loop to make the final decision, AI is really helping both with the operations, dimensioning and basically running the networks in the most efficient way,” he said on the sidelines of India AI Summit.

Ekudden added, “We are working very close with our customers here in India. We’re working with the partners in the ecosystem, universities, making sure that India can stay at the forefront, both when it comes to advanced connectivity, 5G evolving into an AI-native 6G in the years to come.”

He said at present, networks are being optimised primarily for generative AI use cases, but the next phase will centre on AI agents and more autonomous, agentic systems.

Over time, this will extend to physical AI, including robots and humanoids. However, he stressed that such capabilities cannot be fully realised without stronger connectivity, noting that today’s AI-powered 5G networks must eventually evolve into AI-native 6G infrastructure to unlock the full potential of these technologies.

The just-concluded India AI Summit and expo drew over five lakh visitors, and featured a blockbuster lineup of CEOs headlined by Google’s Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Microsoft’s Brad Smith, and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, as discussions spanned most intensely debated global topics in tech universe, from AI’s opportunities and risks, all the way to agentic AI, AGI, governance and the future of jobs.

The collective presence of these influential tech voices under one roof, elevated the Summit proceedings to a centre of gravity for global tech deliberations throughout the week. The first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South, the event saw India, which has consistently championed the voice of developing economies in digital policy forums, push for equitable access to AI resources and fair rule-making.