India has an AI plan--but it's a long way from catching up with China and the US

India is the latest country to announce a national AI initiative. But AI's leading countries are unlikely to let another player muscle in on their turf. The plan: A task force established by the Indian government has released a report on artificial intelligence that calls for the country to boost investment and focus on deploying the technology in manufacturing, health care, agriculture, education, and public utilities. The challenge: India is on course to become the third-largest economy in the world (by GDP) within the next few years. But the country may find it hard to kick-start its own AI revolution. India is playing catch-up with China and the West in terms of technology, research prowess, investment, and--crucially--data, the lifeblood of AI.