India Ready to Lead AI-Driven Climate Action, Says Dr Jitendra Singh

Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the exhibition, interacted with young innovators from participating countries and later presented awards to winners of a hackathon on AI-driven climate solutions.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh, today said that India is prepared to play a larger global role in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-led climate action, while cautioning that AI must be deployed responsibly, alongside human judgement, institutional cooperation and strong global partnerships.

Addressing the Technology and Innovation Conclave 2.0 at Prithvi Bhawan, New Delhi, organised jointly by the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) of the UN ESCAP and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), the Minister emphasised that climate change is “too serious a subject to be left to one nation alone” and requires collective action across borders.

The conclave, themed “AI for Climate Action and Resilience,” brought together senior Indian officials, United Nations representatives, innovators, startups and researchers, highlighting the growing convergence between national science priorities and global climate goals. The programme included startup showcases, a high-level inaugural session and an exhibition of innovations addressing climate and resilience challenges.

Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the exhibition, interacted with young innovators from participating countries and later presented awards to winners of a hackathon on AI-driven climate solutions. During the event, DSIR and APCTT formally launched “SANKALP” (Synergy for Advanced Networks, Knowledge, and Academia–Industry Learning Progress)—a new lecture series aimed at strengthening structured engagement between academia, industry and policymakers, and accelerating the translation of research into real-world applications.

In his address, the Minister stressed that the era of working in silos is over. Climate action, he said, demands collaboration across scientific disciplines, public and private sectors, and even between science and non-science institutions. Innovation can no longer succeed in isolation and must be linked early with industry, markets and technology-transfer mechanisms.

Highlighting India’s evolving global role, Dr Jitendra Singh said the country is no longer inward-looking and is increasingly expected to contribute ideas and solutions to international climate and technology efforts. India’s geographic and climatic diversity, he noted, provides a unique advantage in developing adaptable solutions that can be shared with other vulnerable regions.

Linking AI to India’s broader technology roadmap, the Minister said India has been an early mover in emerging domains such as quantum technologies, having launched a National Quantum Mission, and AI is similarly transformative. He noted that AI is already critical for climate data analysis, disaster forecasting, resource management and environmental monitoring.

Citing practical applications, Dr Jitendra Singh said AI-based models are being used in disaster response and extreme weather analysis, while in healthcare, diagnostics that once took days can now be completed in minutes, and drug trials are becoming faster and more precise.

At the same time, the Minister issued a clear caution against blind or uncritical reliance on AI. Drawing from governance experiences, he said AI-only systems often fail to meet public expectations despite high efficiency. He advocated hybrid models that combine artificial intelligence with human oversight, judgement and empathy.

“One has to be intelligent enough to use artificial intelligence,” Dr Jitendra Singh remarked, underscoring that AI should be treated as a powerful tool, not a substitute for human responsibility.

He also stressed the importance of early industry engagement, warning that research without a clear application pathway risks remaining underutilised. Highlighting CSIR, he noted that it is among the few institutions globally that integrate innovation, academic research, technology transfer and industry engagement within a single framework, making it well placed to drive mission-oriented science aligned with national priorities.

Dr N. Kalaiselvi, Secretary, DSIR and Director General, CSIR, described the conclave as a milestone in the DSIR–APCTT partnership, noting that its second edition reflects a more structured collaboration on AI for climate resilience. She emphasised that AI should be guided by human and natural intelligence and called for responsible research with measurable outcomes. Highlighting the conclave’s international character, she noted participation from delegates of nine countries across APCTT’s network of 53 member states and nine associate states.

Concluding his remarks, Dr Jitendra Singh said the true value of the conclave would lie in actionable outcomes, expressing confidence that the discussions would lead to concrete directions for future collaboration in AI-driven climate action.

The inaugural session was attended by senior dignitaries including UN Resident Coordinator for India Stefan Priesner; Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr M. Ravichandran; Head of APCTT Dr Preeti Soni; Joint Secretary, DSIR Mahendra Kumar Gupta, and senior officials and scientists from DSIR and CSIR.