The Jan AI Roundtable and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Head Held High Foundation and Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ) emerged as the key highlights of the India AI Impact Summit – Pre-Summit Series held at MUJ. The Roundtable set a strong agenda for inclusive, decentralised, and community-led adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for economic development and social good. Convened at Manipal University Jaipur, the Jan AI Roundtable brought together national and global thought leaders, policymakers, academics, industry representatives, technologists, and grassroots practitioners to deliberate on how AI can be made accessible and relevant to rural India. The discussions centred on enabling rural communities to become active participants and co-creators in India’s AI journey rather than passive recipients of technology.
Jan AI, conceptualised by the Head Held High Foundation, is a national movement aimed at democratising Artificial Intelligence for rural India. Rooted in the values of Gram Swaraj, Swadeshi Innovation, and AI for All, the initiative envisions a “Digital Charkha” model, where AI strengthens local livelihoods, dignity, and resilience through community ownership and innovation. Welcoming the gathering, Dr. N. N. Sharma, President, Manipal University Jaipur, highlighted the role of universities in nation-building through technology. He emphasised that academic institutions must bridge frontier research and grassroots realities to ensure that the benefits of AI reach every section of society.
Setting the vision for Jan AI, Madan Padaki, Managing Trustee, Head Held High Foundation, described the initiative as a people-centred movement focused on recognising and augmenting the intelligence already present in rural communities. He noted that AI must become a tool for self-reliance and local problem-solving.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Ramesh Raskar, Associate Professor at MIT and Head of the Camera Culture Research Group, spoke on the importance of decentralised, context-aware AI architectures. He stated that AI-first villages are possible when intelligence is embedded locally while remaining connected to global knowledge networks.
Speakers including design strategist Deepa Prahlad, Sanjeev Gupta, CEO, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, and Yogesh Agrawal, Location Head, Wipro Jaipur, stressed the importance of human-centred design, ecosystem collaboration, and industry participation in bridging the digital divide and enabling inclusive AI adoption. A key highlight of the Roundtable was the sharing of experiences by students from Adarsh Village, Sirohi, who spoke about how learning practical AI skills enhanced their confidence and employability, reinforcing the transformative potential of community-led AI initiatives.
The event concluded with the signing of an MoU between the Head Held High Foundation and Manipal University Jaipur, formalising collaboration on research, capacity building, and community-led AI programmes. Dr. Nitu Bhatnagar, Provost, MUJ, delivered the vote of thanks, marking the close of a significant step towards building an inclusive and participatory AI future for India.
