AI FOR ABUNDANCE: TURNING INDIA’S AMBITION INTO A BILLION HAPPIER LIVES

Congratulations to Aravind Srinivasan, Co-founder and CEO of Perplexity, on being recognised by HURUN INDIA as the country’s youngest billionaire at just 31. From Chennai to the global AI stage, his journey is not only a personal milestone but also a reflection of India’s growing confidence, moving from managing global companies to building them.

What excites me even more is the broader vision this represents: a trillion-dollar aspiration for India’s AI ecosystem, where technology is not only a driver of economic growth but also a force for human progress. Partnerships like Airtel’s collaboration with Perplexity, giving millions of Indians access to advanced AI tools, are early signs of how this future is already taking shape.

AI has also become a close companion in my own journey. ChatGPT is my co-editor, Gemini adds its insights, and Perplexity has emerged as my trusted research partner. They may not have a soul, but they carry an energy, sharpening curiosity, improving questions, and deepening the practice of surrender and reflection.

Over the last seven years, Ishani and I have met more than 500 founders and invested in nearly 70 startups through my Dil Se Investing philosophy. My role with them is fluid—10% parent (to inspire with values), 70% dost (a Vidur-like sounding board where the founder remains king), and 20% child (filled with curiosity). The same blend of curiosity, empathy, and partnership is what I believe India’s AI movement needs as it scales new frontiers.

Looking ahead, AI has the potential to raise not just GDP, but our Happiness Index. As the World Happiness Report reminds us, prosperity, health, social support, freedom, trust, generosity, and equality are the real markers of progress. With an abundance mindset, AI can strengthen all seven—through affordable AI tutors, universal healthcare diagnostics, redistribution models, and open platforms that bring benefits to villages as much as to tech hubs.

This is the larger purpose, our way of repaying our Rishi Rin to India by aligning AI with human aspiration. Profits will follow, but as part of a virtuous cycle where impact drives prosperity, and prosperity fuels deeper impact.

AI offers us a once-in-a-generation opportunity, not just to make India a richer nation, but a happier one.