IT Minister D Sridhar Babu makes it to the Elite List

metro india news  I hyderabad

Analytics India Magazine (AIM) has unveiled its prestigious annual list of "India’s 100 Most Influential People in AI" for 2025, a meticulously curated compilation highlighting trailblazers shaping the nation's AI ecosystem.

The survey, conducted by AIM since 2012, spotlights a diverse mix of policymakers, researchers, startup founders, tech veterans, and social innovators who are driving AI integration into everyday life, from sovereign LLMs (Large Language Models) and digital governance to healthcare and agriculture. This year's selection emphasizes ethical AI, inclusivity, and national impact, drawing from deeptech advancements, policy frameworks, and real-world applications.

A standout inclusion is Telangana's Minister for IT, Electronics & Communications, Industries & Commerce, and Legislative Affairs, Duddilla Sridhar Babu, ranked 7th in the Policy Makers category. The survey praises him as a "seasoned legislator and former advocate" steering Telangana into an "AI-powered future" through progressive policies on AI, IoT, and Industry 4.0. It highlights his focus on job creation, youth empowerment, and attracting global investments, positioning Telangana as a "global hub for responsible and inclusive AI." Sridhar Babu's leadership balances rapid tech adoption with ethical, citizen-centric outcomes, fostering innovation beyond Bengaluru.

The top-10, dominated by policymakers, features influential figures like Aakrit Vaish (1st), co-founder of Peercheque and advisor to IndiaAI Mission, who shaped sovereign LLMs and nurtured AI startups. Abhishek Singh (2nd), CEO of IndiaAI Mission, heads a $1.2 billion strategy for 10,000 GPUs ( Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) ) and ethical AI in governance. Amitabh Kant (3rd), former NITI Aayog CEO, pioneered India's National AI Strategy and AIRAWAT infrastructure. Ashwini Vaishnaw (4th), Union IT Minister, launched the ₹10,000-crore IndiaAI Mission with 18,000 GPUs and global partnerships. Debjani Ghosh (5th), NITI Aayog fellow, advocates for inclusive AI policies emphasizing diversity and ethical frameworks.

Among ministers in the top-25 are Piyush Goyal (8th), Commerce Minister pushing ethical AI in IP and startups; Priyank Kharge (9th), Karnataka IT Minister driving progressive AI policies; Rajeev Chandrasekhar (10th), ex-MoS for Electronics & IT, shaping digital economy and semiconductor strategies; and Rajeshwar Singh (11th), UP MLA proposing AI commissions for governance.

Noted academicians include Balaraman Ravindran (12th), IIT Madras professor advancing reinforcement learning and responsible AI; Ganesh Ramakrishnan (13th), IIT Bombay professor leading BharatGen for multilingual models; and Govindan Rangarajan (14th), IISc Director emphasizing AI ethics and upskilling.

In the Startups ecosystem (ranked 26-50), highlights include Bhavish Aggarwal (29th), Ola & Krutrim CEO, launching multilingual AI assistants and chips; Pratyush Kumar (18th, cross-listed), Sarvam AI co-founder focusing on Indic voice LLMs; and Madhav Krishna (36th), Vahan AI CEO, enabling 3 million job placements via AI.

From Tech and Industry (51-70), key names are Kalyan Kumar (51st), HCLTech's AI leader; Mukesh Ambani's on Akash (53rd) Manish Gupta (58th), Google DeepMind's multilingual AI pioneer, Infosys Co-founder N R Narayana Murthy (60th) and Vishal Dhupar (70th), NVIDIA South Asia MD. Public Infrastructure features Amitabh Nag (80th), Bhashini CEO bridging languages; Nandan Nilekani (81st), Aadhaar architect advocating AI for billions; and Shankar Maruwada (83rd), EkStep co-founder scaling DPI with AI. Others include Amandeep Gill (71st, UN Tech Envoy) in Social Sector and AR Rahman (92nd) in Mass Media, using AI for ethical music revival.

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