India must build domestic capacities in AI, cybersecurity to tackle rising threats: IT Secy

The government on Monday stressed the need to build domestic capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity, with IT Secretary S Krishnan saying India has "no other option" but to strengthen indigenous capacity as cyber threats grow in scale and sophistication.

Krishnan said rapid digitisation has brought significant gains in ease of living, ease of doing business and economic efficiency, but has also exposed businesses and individuals to evolving cyber risks.

"A critical area we need to act on is ensuring that in the AI space, what is the infrastructure and the capability we build as a country, both in terms of models, data, how we use this, how this infrastructure is something that we can support ourselves with, and the critical thing here is building domestic capacity," Krishnan said.

Cybersecurity is one of the most important concerns to be prioritised for preserving the benefits derived from digitisation, Krishnan emphasised.

The secretary released the second edition of the Digital Threat Report 2025–26 for the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) and payments ecosystem. The report provides financial institutions, regulators and cybersecurity leaders with an executive assessment of the threats reshaping banking, financial services, insurance and digital payments.                       

-PTI