India needs a new form of giving – one that takes a view on what a better future could look like, and actively works to make that happen. 

Artificial Intelligence may be all the rage today, but how many of us know that the seeds of the AI revolution were sown more than 68 years ago? In 1956, a select group of scientists met for an event supported by the Rockefeller Foundation (RF) called the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The event brought together experts in mathematics, engineering, psychology, and computer science to explore how machines could use logic, reasoning, and learning to mimic human intelligence. The Dartmouth event formalized AI as a distinct field and raised fundamental questions that shaped the research agenda for decades. 

Would the field of AI be what it is today if RF hadn’t supported the Dartmouth conference? We will never know the answer to a counterfactual question like this one. However, what we know for sure is that, thanks to such far-sighted giving, we are in the midst of a transformation in the way we live and work.

Such philanthropic giving is called “Future Focussed Giving” (FFG) since it imagines a future and moves forward with the work needed to attain it. Till date, giving in India has largely been focussed on improving the present condition of Indians, whether through investments in primary education, feeding the poor, or healthcare for individuals. The aim of improving the immediate condition of individuals can be called “present-forward” giving (PFG). For a country with huge existential challenges, PFG is essential. However, with rising aspirations to be a developed country, the need for FFG also increases.

Why we need  Giving

In the technology industry, it is often said that the best way to predict the future is to invent it. The immense amount of patient capital invested by philanthropies, governments and industry have made US and China world leaders in AI. By the same token, the absence of past investments in AI by Indians has led to a situation where we are scrambling to play catch-up. If we truly want to be a superpower, we must ensure that we act with foresight.  We need to make many large and small bets in futuristic areas that hold the potential to improve the lives of Indians, and the stature of India on the world stage. This requires  thoughtful investment in  thoughtful investment in areas that may bear results after many years (or even decades), and patience to build institutions that have impact over time, and patience to build institutions that have impact over time.

To be clear, philanthropic capital cannot always match the size of capital deployed by the government and private sectors. However, it can be used to instigate thought and instigate thought and support initiatives that may not have caught the attention of these sectors yet. For example, RF’s support for the Dartmouth conference sowed the seeds for a multi-billion dollar sector at a time when very few AI initiatives existed in the government or the private sector. By the end of 2024, the total venture capital investments in the AI sector was more than $270 billion.

FFG differs from PFG in imagination, points of intervention, and timelines for impact.  It requires a vision of the future, and close work with a network of actors. It requires a willingness to be in spaces of discomfort and patience – as many things are as-yet unknown. It requires building and supporting institutions, which deliver results over time. It requires a mindset shift. 

Future Focussed Giving for India

Fortunately, we are seeing several instances of such a mindset shift. The creation of universities like Ashoka University, institutions like the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Rainmatter Foundation’s efforts in climate change, the Koita Centre for Digital Health,  and the efforts of Nandan Nilekani’s EkStep Foundation, and iSPIRT in building Digital Public Infrastructure are great examples. These efforts imagine a better world and set about making investments to invent it. However, given the scale of India’s challenges, we need a greater number of such efforts. We hope that wealthy Indians will step up to this challenge. Apart from money, their experience, networks, and organizational skills can play a major role in creating strong institutions that solve major challenges, and create more opportunities for Indians. 

In the national landscape, such FFG institutions have a major role to play. Since they are not subject to the same bureaucratic limitations of the Indian state, or the bottom line orientation of the private sector, FFG institutions can take risks that other sectors cannot take. These include, working on areas that might seem “far out” at this point in time, convening deep discussions in fields that are still amorphous, and investing in causes that are unfashionable at the moment. 

Without FFG institutions, India will not be an agenda setter/maker; we will be agenda-takers. This can be harmful not only to our citizenry but it can have consequences for business and innovation, and our ability to transition from a low income country to a higher income country. 

The late President, APJ Abdul Kalam once shared a story of meeting a 14 year old girl in Hyderabad. When he asked her what her goal in life is, she replied, “I want to live in a developed India.” FFG can make a huge contribution in making that goal a reality.

Sarayu is co-founder of Aapti Institute. Venky is an independent researcher.