Why Trustworthy Data, Not Advanced Models, Will Drive India's Artificial Intelligence Boom
Bangalore, Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
EY partner Alexy Thomas argues that connected, trustworthy data will dictate India’s artificial intelligence success, potentially sparking a global economic transformation rivaling the nation’s historic Y2K tech boom.
Breaking Down Data Silos
Speaking on the CAIO Connect Podcast, Alexy Thomas, a Partner at EY Technology Consulting with over 25 years of experience in data and analytics, highlighted a fundamental bottleneck in India’s technological infrastructure: data silos [1]. While advanced artificial intelligence models frequently dominate industry headlines, Thomas argues that isolated information severely limits the practical utility of data for AI applications [1]. To overcome this hurdle, the focus must shift toward constructing connected data ecosystems [1]. This requires establishing clear taxonomies and shared standards that promote seamless interoperability across platforms [1].
The Regulatory and Practical Shift
A robust regulatory framework is essential to foster the trustworthy data environment that experts advocate. India has already taken significant steps in this direction by introducing the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, a legislative measure designed to safeguard citizens’ personal information [1]. This legal foundation is a prerequisite for ensuring that data is not only of high quality but also properly governed and genuinely ‘AI-ready’ [1]. Without stringent governance, the risk of deploying flawed or biased AI systems increases exponentially [GPT].
Industry Leaders Converge on Enterprise AI
The imperative for data-driven transformation is echoing across the broader technology and financial sectors. This consensus will be a focal point at the upcoming ‘AI for Viksit Bharat: CXO Summit 2026,’ scheduled to take place at the Jio Convention Centre on March 16, 2026 [2]. The summit will feature prominent industry figures, including Satyenkumar Jadeja, the Strategic Sales Leader for Banking & Financial Services at IBM Consulting [2].
Echoes of the Y2K Transformation
The scale of the anticipated AI boom has drawn historical comparisons to one of India’s most defining technological eras. Thomas asserts that India possesses the requisite talent, energy, and appetite to accelerate global AI adoption, drawing a direct parallel to the nation’s pivotal role during the Y2K transition [1]. Just as Indian IT services became the backbone of global software remediation at the turn of the millennium, the country is now positioned to become the engine of enterprise AI deployment [GPT].