A key theme of the past couple of years has been the intensifying bid, by certain countries, to increase their self-sufficiency in critical technologies such as AI and 5G – increasing their global influence and their national security in a time of geopolitical tension. Some countries or regions have relied mainly on investments in high-tech firms, as seen in the Gulf states, but others are developing homegrown technology from scratch. India is in the forefront of such initiatives, and the technological projects, while backed by the government, are often led by private companies including the two large telcos, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. The latest example is that Jio is working on a homegrown AI model which would benefit its…