Forbes India Magazine - Technology must benefit all, else expect a backlash: Nandan Nilekani

Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) must be harnessed strategically in national building to provide equal access to opportunities to all, Nadan Nilekani, the former chairman of India's Unique ID Authority, said during a conference in Bengaluru on Monday. Failure to do so will invite a backlash, Nilekani warned, as large numbers of people see themselves being left out with the fruits of technological advancement benefiting only a few. "How do we use all this stuff that you guys have built and flip it around to benefit large numbers of people, and I think that is very important," Nilekani said in a discussion with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft Corp, at a conference on Artificial Intelligence organised by the company. "If we don't do that, I think the backlash, as we've seen in the US, is going to be quite a lot." Nilekani wasn't available for a follow-on discussion, but he was probably referring to many more Americans voting for Donald Trump -- helping Trump become their president -- than any pundits had anticipated, as they feared that his opponent Hillary Clinton represented the elite.