Key facts
- Nasscom advocates testing India's critical systems with OpenAI models
- Access to frontier AI models remains uncertain for India
- Highlights tension between AI sovereignty goals and foreign dependency
Nasscom has called for India to use OpenAI models to stress-test and evaluate its critical systems, even as the availability of frontier AI platforms for Indian users and enterprises remains in flux. The industry lobby's position, reported by NDTV Profit, reflects the pragmatic reality facing Indian technology decision-makers: domestic AI models are not yet mature enough for high-stakes deployments, and waiting for certainty could delay crucial digital infrastructure work.
The recommendation is significant because it comes at a moment when India is simultaneously trying to reduce dependence on foreign technology — particularly American and Chinese platforms — while acknowledging that no credible domestic substitute yet exists for the most capable AI systems. Nasscom's stance amounts to a call for strategic engagement with OpenAI rather than a retreat from it.
The uncertainty around frontier model access is partly structural. Export controls, licensing conditions, and the pace of US regulatory changes around AI have made it difficult for Indian enterprises to plan long-term deployments around American platforms. Nasscom appears to be arguing that India should use the window of available access productively, running evaluations and building institutional knowledge, rather than deferring all AI integration until the geopolitical picture clears.
The broader implication is a policy dilemma: India must balance its digital sovereignty ambitions with the practical need to keep pace with global AI adoption. Nasscom's public advocacy for OpenAI usage in critical system testing is likely to intensify debate within government and industry about which foreign AI partners India can afford to trust — and under what conditions.