Machines are only set to get smarter as more applications of AI come to light. Research around AI has grown by seven-fold since 1996, according to a study by Tata Communications Services (TCS). Yet, India lags far behind.

We have one of the best technology talent pools in the world. If we fast-track and balance our progress on innovation, IP management, and entrepreneurship, we can realize the potential to become a global AI powerhouse, said Santosh Mohanty, the Global Head for Components Engineering Group at TCS.

It's hardly surprising since out of 22,000 PhD researchers around the world, only 386 are from India, according to the Global AI Talent Report 2018.

Lacking in laws

Until 2002, computer-related inventions were deemed ineligible for patents. Even though that has now changed, the existing laws pose their own challenges like being too ambiguous and vague.

For instance, an algorithm can't be patented until it has a practical application or use case even if it's solving a problem behind the scenes.

All of them, except for IBM, are focused on computer vision a form of machine perception that used deep learning to identify objects, videos, and images. IBM, on the other hand, is focused on natural language processing like chatbots.

Alphabet, Google's parent company, is second only to the Chinese tech giant Baidu in owning portfolios of patents related to deep learning.

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India wants to be on the cusp of artificial intelligence but lacks the laws to back it up - Business Insider India