INDIA'S LEAP YEAR

From artificial intelligence to trade agreements, these events in 2024 will determine how much India leaps ahead

- K. SUNIL THOMAS

Swag. It was not a traditional Indian attitude. But from Salman Khan's Tiger who sang 'Swag se karenge (Will do it with confidence)" to the alpha male heroes of the recent movies, swag has very much been appropriated by Bharat. Even as the world braces itself for a round of uncertainty about the wars, the narrative on desi streets-high, low and Dalal-couldn't be more different. Indians are flush with swag and swagger leaping into 2024.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the zeitgeist on New Year's Eve. "India is brimming with self-confidence," he said. "We have to maintain the same spirit and momentum in 2024 as well."

While political India's eyes will be pinned on the Lok Sabha elections in the summer, the mood of the nation will be determined not just by the incoming government's policies, but by some major, far-reaching developments on the economy side of affairs, some of which are already under way.

The most talked-about, of course, is the hyperbole of how India is all set to become a $5-trillion economy in 2024-2025, if not the calendar year itself. While that has more milestone value than anything else, many significant developments across the technology, finance and commerce spaces could upend the world around us as we know it.

I, Robot

The good news? We've only scraped the surface of what artificial intelligence can do. The bad news? We've only scraped the surface of what artificial intelligence can do.

While we were mighty impressed by what generative AI programmes like ChatGPT could churn out, 2024 could unfold the true extent of what AI is capable of. Tata Sons chair N. Chandrasekaran told his employees to "proactively pursue the benefits of AI-economically, operationally and socially". As the year progresses, we will see increasing adoption of AI across India Inc, stretching right up to factory floors.