New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) India is increasingly being viewed as a key force capable of shaping global peace, economic stability and technological progress, global experts said on Wednesday.

Speaking to IANS on the sidelines of the Economist Enterprise ‘Resilient Futures Summit 2026’here, they emphasised India’s rising influence in navigating geopolitical uncertainty, strengthening multilateral cooperation, and driving innovation in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

Danny Quah, Li Ka Shing professor in economics, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, noted that the evolving nature of global terrorism and shifting trade dynamics have injected significant uncertainty into the world economy.

Quah emphasised that beyond trade disruptions, a deeper concern lies in the erosion of global trust and weakening of multilateral systems that have traditionally underpinned international cooperation.

“India can play a big role in it and if India tries, there will be peace. People are looking towards India to bring a peace. I think people are looking to India to exercise appropriate leadership. It is still up to India to decide what appropriate,” he told IANS.

Adding to this perspective, Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum in London, highlighted India’s distinctive and optimistic approach towards artificial intelligence.

“If you look at public surveys in America and Europe, the majority of the population is nervous about artificial intelligence. The opposite is true in India. India is building capacity for artificial intelligence centres while also thinking deeply about what that means,” Blatchford said.

Blatchford also praised the broader achievements of the Global South, particularly India’s developmental trajectory.

“The country is striving to balance economic growth with the need to improve quality of life, even as it grapples with challenges such as rising energy demand,” Blatchford told IANS.

“This stands in contrast to Western economies that have already benefited from decades of prosperity,” he explained.

–IANS

pk