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Time of India
10-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Trump's tech shift opens the way for India to do a UPI on AI
In the cacophony created by tariffs and Trump, a singular announcement by the US did not get even a fraction of the attention it deserves. The advance warning was in January, when Donald Trump penned his illegible scrawl on Executive Order 14179— Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI, which overturned Joe Biden's cautious AI stance. Six months later on July 23, he followed it up with the main course by unveiling the AI Action Plan that outlined over 90 policy actions, heralding a no holds barred, full-throttle embrace of AI adventurism. It is a vision that prioritises computing power, private-sector leadership, and geopolitical dominance over the previous focus on ethical risks, AI safety, and algorithmic fairness. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program In one fell stroke, the largest AI superpower has pivoted from caution to acceleration, replacing Biden-era guardrails with an innovation-first doctrine. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why Seniors Are Snapping Up This TV Box, We Explain! Techno Mag Learn More Undo It rests on three pillars: accelerating innovation, largely through deregulation; building national infrastructure, by streamlining permissions for data centres and AI research; and projecting US tech power globally, through export promotion and tighter control on rivals. The announcement was accompanied by three executive orders. One of them was against 'woke AI', making the battle explicitly cultural; while the other slashed data centre red tape; and the third boosted exports of the American AI stack globally, pointing towards a strategy to create a global standard. Live Events THE IMPACT The explosion of generative AI and ChatGPT had sparked a holy war between AI Boomers, who wanted unfettered expansion of AI, and the Doomers, who urged a careful, slower approach. With this order, it seems the former has scored a decisive victory. But this preference for breakneck speed has left many wondering: Where are the brakes? Even as there is something to be said for quickly building a technology which could have massive benefits for humanity across healthcare, education and climate, there is lots to worry about here. Yuval Noah Harari recently spoke about the trust paradox, where the AI superpowers do not trust one another and are racing to develop a powerful super intelligence before the other does, but are good to trust the AI superintelligence. In the near term, this US move shifts AI's focus from how it affects society and humanity, to how it can dominate markets, create shareholder value, and pit one nation against another. There is an explicit political aim to create bias, with its 'ideological neutrality' principle, and the US states are disincentivised to create their own guardrails with the threat to hold funds. Moving fast and breaking things is back in fashion. LESSONS FOR THE WORLD The AI Action Plan is a tectonic event, and its reverberations will be spread from its Washington epicentre not only to Silicon Valley, but beyond to the rest of the world. The implications for India will be particularly interesting, not only as an emerging AI power but as a Global South leader, and the host of the next big global AI gathering – the AI Impact Summit in February 2026. These new policies might turbocharge Big TechAI development and their stock prices and accelerate startup and venture activity along with unbridled AI infrastructure enhancement. However, the absence of regulatory guardrails could also expose society to increased misinformation, algorithmic harms and uncheckedcommercial surveillance. There is a very real risk that this economic acceleration could outpace ethical oversight, inviting public backlash. It would also put the spotlight on Europe. There will be pressure on regulators to loosen up, with European startups threatening to decamp to the US. But then this is also a real, long-term opportunity for the EU to be the custodian of 'trustworthy AI'. China and its AI companies could be winners here. Countering the US' unilateral stance, China has started taking the position of AI inclusivity, by pushing open source AI models and announcing a global Shanghai Initiative to form a World AI Cooperation Organisation . DeepSeek and other models have already demonOrganisation. DeepSeek a models ready demonstrated that it is catching up on AI leadership with the US, and its open source, inclusive stance could win over more allies. However, the statist, centralised control exerted by the Chinese Communist Party , with a focus on surveillance and control will be a deterrent for many. For the rest of the world, particularly in the Global South, this divergence presents a dilemma on who to follow. It is here that there is a unique opportunity for India, to reject this binary choice, balance ambition with caution, and carve out a 'third way' that emphasises ethical innovation, inclusive infrastructure and co-created governance. India has many advantages here: the world's largest democ- racy and a leader of the Global South, a strong tech ecosystem, and a much admired model in its Digital Public Infrastructure ( DPI ), which has effectively balanced innovation and social equity. I have written about this third way, what I call coined 'JanAI', where India leads with a DPI-like initiative to make AI and its applications a public good in India. Many countries are keen to emulate the DPI initiative; they will likely flock to a similar AI initiative leadership. It is also an opportune coincidence that India is hosting the AI Impact Summit in 2026, the largest such gathering of AI leaders. To emerge as a third pole, however, India must clarify its own AI stance, create a comprehensive AI regulatory framework, and make AI a 'national mission' as it did with the Green Revolution, population control, and, indeed, the DPI/DPG initiative. Focusing on AI for Good and AI for All, with ethical innovation, inclusive infrastructure, universal AI literacy and co-created governance with industry, academia and civil society will help it carve out this elusive 'middle path' and give it a legitimate platform to lead the rest of the world. In technology, it is often said the US innovates, Europe regulates, China replicates, and, often, India procrastinates. However, the game has changed. Trump's AI policy may indeed propel the US into a dominant position, but there it could be at a great social cost. As AI becomes the foundational infrastructure of this century, the rules we write today will shape everything from elections to employment to existential risk. India, with its demographic scale, digital backbone and convening power in 2026, has a once-in-a-generation chance to help the world write those rules—not in Washington, Shanghai or Brussels, but in New Delhi.
Economic Times
10-08-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Trump's tech shift opens the way for India to do a UPI on AI
TIL Creatives President Trump In the cacophony created by tariffs and Trump, a singular announcement by the US did not get even a fraction of the attention it deserves. The advance warning was in January, when Donald Trump penned his illegible scrawl on Executive Order 14179— Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI, which overturned Joe Biden's cautious AI months later on July 23, he followed it up with the main course by unveiling the AI Action Plan that outlined over 90 policy actions, heralding a no holds barred, full-throttle embrace of AI adventurism. It is a vision that prioritises computing power, private-sector leadership, and geopolitical dominance over the previous focus on ethical risks, AI safety, and algorithmic one fell stroke, the largest AI superpower has pivoted from caution to acceleration, replacing Biden-era guardrails with an innovation-first rests on three pillars: accelerating innovation, largely through deregulation; building national infrastructure, by streamlining permissions for data centres and AI research; and projecting US tech power globally, through export promotion and tighter control on announcement was accompanied by three executive orders. One of them was against 'woke AI', making the battle explicitly cultural; while the other slashed data centre red tape; and the third boosted exports of the American AI stack globally, pointing towards a strategy to create a global standard. The explosion of generative AI and ChatGPT had sparked a holy war between AI Boomers, who wanted unfettered expansion of AI, and the Doomers, who urged a careful, slower approach. With this order, it seems the former has scored a decisive this preference for breakneck speed has left many wondering: Where are the brakes? Even as there is something to be said for quickly building a technology which could have massive benefits for humanity across healthcare, education and climate, there is lots to worry about Noah Harari recently spoke about the trust paradox, where the AI superpowers do not trust one another and are racing to develop a powerful super intelligence before the other does, but are good to trust the AI the near term, this US move shifts AI's focus from how it affects society and humanity, to how it can dominate markets, create shareholder value, and pit one nation against is an explicit political aim to create bias, with its 'ideological neutrality' principle, and the US states are disincentivised to create their own guardrails with the threat to hold fast and breaking things is back in AI Action Plan is a tectonic event, and its reverberations will be spread from its Washington epicentre not only to Silicon Valley, but beyond to the rest of the world. The implications for India will be particularly interesting, not only as an emerging AI power but as a Global South leader, and the host of the next big global AI gathering – the AI Impact Summit in February 2026. These new policies might turbocharge Big TechAI development and their stock prices and accelerate startup and venture activity along with unbridled AI infrastructure the absence of regulatory guardrails could also expose society to increased misinformation, algorithmic harms and uncheckedcommercial surveillance. There is a very real risk that this economic acceleration could outpace ethical oversight, inviting public would also put the spotlight on Europe. There will be pressure on regulators to loosen up, with European startups threatening to decamp to the US. But then this is also a real, long-term opportunity for the EU to be the custodian of 'trustworthy AI'. China and its AI companies could be winners here. Countering the US' unilateral stance, China has started taking the position of AI inclusivity, by pushing open source AI models and announcing a global Shanghai Initiative to form a World AI Cooperation Organisation. DeepSeek and other models have already demonOrganisation. DeepSeek a models ready demonstrated that it is catching up on AI leadership with the US, and its open source, inclusive stance could win over more allies. However, the statist, centralised control exerted by the Chinese Communist Party, with a focus on surveillance and control will be a deterrent for many. For the rest of the world, particularly in the Global South, this divergence presents a dilemma on who to follow. It is here that there is a unique opportunity for India, to reject this binary choice, balance ambition with caution, and carve out a 'third way' that emphasises ethical innovation, inclusive infrastructure and co-created governance. India has many advantages here: the world's largest democ- racy and a leader of the Global South, a strong tech ecosystem, and a much admired model in its Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), which has effectively balanced innovation and social equity. I have written about this third way, what I call coined 'JanAI', where India leads with a DPI-like initiative to make AI and its applications a public good in India. Many countries are keen to emulate the DPI initiative; they will likely flock to a similar AI initiative is also an opportune coincidence that India is hosting the AI Impact Summit in 2026, the largest such gathering of AI emerge as a third pole, however, India must clarify its own AI stance, create a comprehensive AI regulatory framework, and make AI a 'national mission' as it did with the Green Revolution, population control, and, indeed, the DPI/DPG on AI for Good and AI for All, with ethical innovation, inclusive infrastructure, universal AI literacy and co-created governance with industry, academia and civil society will help it carve out this elusive 'middle path' and give it a legitimate platform to lead the rest of the technology, it is often said the US innovates, Europe regulates, China replicates, and, often, India the game has changed. Trump's AI policy may indeed propel the US into a dominant position, but there it could be at a great social cost. As AI becomes the foundational infrastructure of this century, the rules we write today will shape everything from elections to employment to existential risk. India, with its demographic scale, digital backbone and convening power in 2026, has a once-in-a-generation chance to help the world write those rules—not in Washington, Shanghai or Brussels, but in New Delhi. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
VGTel Inc. Unveils VegaCore AI as U.S. Accelerates AI and Education Reform
Key Highlights: VegaCore™ Launches as U.S. AI-Education Policies ExpandAligns with federal action plans to modernize science, tech, and STEM learning. $5.5B Boosts AI Integration in Classrooms NationwideVegaCore™ poised to support K–12 and university STEM innovation and curriculum. Blockchain Turns Space Data into Licensed Digital AssetsAI-processed imagery becomes tradable, copyright-proven intellectual property. LANDER, Wyo., July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VGTel, Inc. (OTC: VGTL) is proud to announce the official launch of VegaCore™ AI, a next-generation, fully independent space science platform integrating AI-powered galaxy cataloging, blockchain-authenticated imagery, and subscription-based monetization. The platform debuts at a historic moment, aligned with sweeping U.S. federal initiatives in artificial intelligence, infrastructure, and education. CEO Statement: A New Standard in AI and Space Science ' is one of the most advanced AI platforms ever developed for deep-space research and education. It combines sovereign infrastructure, real-time processing, and blockchain-secured data into a system that's light-years ahead of legacy solutions. We didn't build this to compete—we built it to lead,' said Ken Williams, CEO of VGTel, Inc. 'As the U.S. accelerates its AI and education agenda, is perfectly positioned to deliver both national impact and shareholder value.' A National AI Strategy Creates Ideal Conditions for VegaCore™ In January 2025, the White House issued Executive Order 14179: 'Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence.' The directive instructs federal agencies to eliminate ideological filters, revoke outdated policies, and implement a coordinated national AI Action Plan. On July 23, 2025, the Administration unveiled 'Winning the Race: America's AI Action Plan', supported by three additional executive orders that: Prohibit the use of ideologically biased ('woke') AI in federal procurement Streamline permitting large-scale AI infrastructure and data centers Promote U.S.-based AI exports as the global technological gold standard This policy shift reinforces the need for autonomous, American-controlled AI platforms, precisely the environment in which VegaCore™ was built to thrive. Unleashing $5.5 Billion for AI-Driven Education In parallel, the Administration released $5.5 billion in previously frozen education funding, aimed at expanding AI literacy and STEM education through the Department of Education. A forthcoming executive order, ' outlines: A cross-agency national AI Task Force (Education, Labor, Commerce, Energy, OSTP) AI curriculum development grants for K–12 schools and higher education A Presidential AI Challenge to accelerate STEM innovation and adoption These actions open the door for platforms like VegaCore™ to integrate into public and private education systems nationwide. Where Deep-Space Discovery Meets Smart Technology VegaCore's capabilities represent a leap forward in applied space science: AI-enhanced image processing for de-noising, anomaly detection, and classification Autonomous galaxy cataloging across telescope and satellite data streams Generative visualization tools simulating nebulae, black holes, and planetary systems for immersive education and research Independent, Transparent & Built for Compliance Unlike mainstream AI models, VegaCore™ is fully self-hosted and open source, running on VGTel's private infrastructure: No API rate limits No third-party filters No ideological interference This design ensures full data ownership, scientific transparency, and compliance with new federal standards for bias-free AI in education and research. Blockchain-Based Copyright & Monetization Every image processed by VegaCore™ is minted as a blockchain-authenticated digital asset, offering: Timestamped metadata and copyright provenance Academic licensing and commercial resale Collectible-grade digital assets rooted in scientific integrity This framework transforms raw space data into verifiable intellectual property, that's driving value for researchers, educators, collectors, and shareholders alike. Subscriptions, Widgets, and Classroom Integration To expand impact and recurring revenue, VGTel is developing modular VegaCore™ widgets that: Embed live space feeds into websites, learning platforms, and labs Stream exclusive time-lapse animations for members Provide AI-enhanced celestial updates for classrooms and research teams Tiered memberships offer enhanced access, priority data processing, and early discovery alerts to educators, institutions, and science enthusiasts. Why 'VegaCore™'? A Name Rooted in Navigation and Clarity Named after Vega, the brightest star in the northern summer sky and a historical reference point for navigation and scientific calibration, VegaCore™ stands for clarity, precision, and discovery. Just as Vega guided explorers, VegaCore™ is designed to orient today's students, researchers, and institutions toward truth-driven, autonomous space science. A Resilient Business Model for the AI Era VegaCore™ blends innovation with monetization: Subscription revenue from educators, researchers, and the public Tokenized digital assets with built-in copyright and licensing Licensing of VegaCore's AI infrastructure to schools and government agencies This multi-channel model fuses education-as-a-service (EaaS), deep tech, and digital IP into a scalable, future-proof business strategy. What's Next for VegaCore™? VGTel's growth roadmap includes: Partnering with K–12 schools, universities, and national research institutions Launching a global telescope network for real-time sky observation Building a digital marketplace for AI-processed space imagery and collectibles VegaCore™ is now live at ( the official platform for intelligent sky monitoring and AI-powered space research. About VGTel, Inc. (OTC: VGTL) is a publicly traded company focused on advanced astronomy, atmospheric monitoring, and space-based education technologies. With a commitment to innovation and outreach, VGTel is building a global network to unlock real-time views of the universe, bringing the stars into homes, schools, and research institutions around the world. Contact:VGTel, Inc. Ken Williams, CEOinfo@ X: @vgtelinc For more information, please visit or *VegaCore™ is a trademark of VGTel, Inc. All rights reserved. Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. It is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. That includes the possibility that the business outlined in this press release cannot be concluded for some reason. That could be as a result of technical, installation, permitting, or other problems that were not anticipated. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of VGTel, Inc. to be materially different from the statements made herein. Except for any obligation under the U.S. federal securities laws, VGTel, Inc., undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - A make-or-break moment for the AI economy
As one of its first acts, the Trump administration in January signed Executive Order 14179, removing previous regulatory guardrails for artificial intelligence and placing the responsibility for this transformative technology squarely with the private sector. The private sector needs to embrace this duty, because the rapid development of so-called 'AI agents,' which promise to transform the way consumers travel, shop and even receive medical care, is going to demand cooperative industry action to ensure open and competitive markets. History has shown us that network effects — where the value of a platform grows as more people use it — can lead to significant market concentration. This dynamic can enable a small number of players to establish dominance and lead to high barriers to entry for newcomers. Artificial intelligence is fated to follow this same trend. In fact, we are at a critical juncture where the same dynamics that created digital monopolies in the past are beginning to take hold — only faster, and with broader implications. The next frontier of AI is not just what we see today: large language models or image generators. It is autonomous agents: AI systems acting on our behalf in everyday transactions. These agents will manage our schedules, compare insurance plans, negotiate purchases and more. They promise to make our lives easier by operating behind the scenes to save us time and money, and spare us cognitive load. And their adoption is happening quickly. A recent survey by Cloudera found that 96 percent of IT leaders plan to increase their use of AI agents in the coming year, with nearly half already seeing them as a key competitive advantage. Moreover, Walmart's announcement that it plans to start interfacing with AI shopping agents signals that we are already at the beginning of a structural shift in how decisions are made online. But the benefits of 'agentified' commerce won't materialize in full force unless we take affirmative steps to protect the promise of AI. Without standards to ensure open participation and fair competition, the agent-driven marketplace could become yet another closed system dominated by the few companies that have the resources and infrastructure to scale quickly. Smaller businesses could find themselves locked out. And consumers could find themselves at the mercy of hidden algorithms that aren't working in their best interests. Imagine this near-future scenario: you ask your AI assistant to plan a weekend trip to Napa Valley. It scans dozens of options, compares prices, negotiates availability, and returns with what seems like the best result. But what if it only considers providers that have exclusive deals or undisclosed business relationships with its parent company? What if smaller, independent options never even get a chance to compete? Now imagine this across other scenarios, such as finding a new healthcare provider or renegotiating your internet plan. History has shown that these fears are not speculative. But we've navigated similar challenges before. The internet as we know it runs on mostly open, decentralized standards that allow anyone to build and compete on a level playing field. In hardware, protocols such as USB, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have enabled interoperability across brands and devices, helping innovation flourish without locking out newcomers. We should bring this same thinking to AI, and how the dynamic ecosystem of different AI tools and systems will interact — both with consumers and with each other. The future of AI-driven commerce demands open standards that ensure not just interoperability between agents but equitable access to marketplaces, so that a startup's offering can be just as discoverable as that of a global enterprise. One way to operationalize this vision is through the creation of a voluntary open AI agent registry. In this system, any business, regardless of size, could register its AI agents using standardized protocols. Consumer-facing AI assistants could query this registry to identify relevant service providers, ensuring that small players are part of the ecosystem from the start — and that agents are who they say they are, not scammers. In the case of travel, for instance, this would allow a locally owned B&B to appear in the same search as a multinational hotel chain. The user's agent could negotiate with both, compare deals, and surface the best option — not the one with the biggest marketing budget, or one that owns the cloud platform on which it is hosted. To make this happen, we need leadership, from both regulators and industry. Standards don't have to come from government mandates. In fact, many of the most successful ones have emerged from coalitions of private-sector leaders, academics and technologists, such as the Financial Data Exchange, which helped define open protocols for sharing consumer financial data securely across banks and fintechs. The benefits of getting this right are hard to overstate. Consumer trust is foundational, not just to AI adoption but to long-term confidence in digital systems that increasingly act on our behalf. For businesses, especially smaller ones, well-defined standards level the playing field and reduce integration hurdles, enabling broader participation in the digital economy. And for the broader ecosystem, it ensures a competitive, innovation-rich environment where value — not gatekeeping — wins. The best markets are free, open and competitive, and that should be true especially when transactions are handled by AI. We don't have to repeat the mistakes of the past. We can build an AI ecosystem that is open, competitive and fair from the start. But that requires intention, collaboration and urgency. e, and that should The AI economy is moving fast. Let's keep it moving in the right direction. Benjamin Wiener is the global head of Cognizant Moment, the digital and customer experience arm of U.S. professional services firm Cognizant. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
A make-or-break moment for the AI economy
As one of its first acts, the Trump administration in January signed Executive Order 14179, removing previous regulatory guardrails for artificial intelligence and placing the responsibility for this transformative technology squarely with the private sector. The private sector needs to embrace this duty, because the rapid development of so-called 'AI agents,' which promise to transform the way consumers travel, shop and even receive medical care, is going to demand cooperative industry action to ensure open and competitive markets. History has shown us that network effects — where the value of a platform grows as more people use it — can lead to significant market concentration. This dynamic can enable a small number of players to establish dominance and lead to high barriers to entry for newcomers. Artificial intelligence is fated to follow this same trend. In fact, we are at a critical juncture where the same dynamics that created digital monopolies in the past are beginning to take hold — only faster, and with broader implications. The next frontier of AI is not just what we see today: large language models or image generators. It is autonomous agents: AI systems acting on our behalf in everyday transactions. These agents will manage our schedules, compare insurance plans, negotiate purchases and more. They promise to make our lives easier by operating behind the scenes to save us time and money, and spare us cognitive load. And their adoption is happening quickly. A recent survey by Cloudera found that 96 percent of IT leaders plan to increase their use of AI agents in the coming year, with nearly half already seeing them as a key competitive advantage. Moreover, Walmart's announcement that it plans to start interfacing with AI shopping agents signals that we are already at the beginning of a structural shift in how decisions are made online. But the benefits of 'agentified' commerce won't materialize in full force unless we take affirmative steps to protect the promise of AI. Without standards to ensure open participation and fair competition, the agent-driven marketplace could become yet another closed system dominated by the few companies that have the resources and infrastructure to scale quickly. Smaller businesses could find themselves locked out. And consumers could find themselves at the mercy of hidden algorithms that aren't working in their best interests. Imagine this near-future scenario: you ask your AI assistant to plan a weekend trip to Napa Valley. It scans dozens of options, compares prices, negotiates availability, and returns with what seems like the best result. But what if it only considers providers that have exclusive deals or undisclosed business relationships with its parent company? What if smaller, independent options never even get a chance to compete? Now imagine this across other scenarios, such as finding a new healthcare provider or renegotiating your internet plan. History has shown that these fears are not speculative. But we've navigated similar challenges before. The internet as we know it runs on mostly open, decentralized standards that allow anyone to build and compete on a level playing field. In hardware, protocols such as USB, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have enabled interoperability across brands and devices, helping innovation flourish without locking out newcomers. We should bring this same thinking to AI, and how the dynamic ecosystem of different AI tools and systems will interact — both with consumers and with each other. The future of AI-driven commerce demands open standards that ensure not just interoperability between agents but equitable access to marketplaces, so that a startup's offering can be just as discoverable as that of a global enterprise. One way to operationalize this vision is through the creation of a voluntary open AI agent registry. In this system, any business, regardless of size, could register its AI agents using standardized protocols. Consumer-facing AI assistants could query this registry to identify relevant service providers, ensuring that small players are part of the ecosystem from the start — and that agents are who they say they are, not scammers. In the case of travel, for instance, this would allow a locally owned B&B to appear in the same search as a multinational hotel chain. The user's agent could negotiate with both, compare deals, and surface the best option — not the one with the biggest marketing budget, or one that owns the cloud platform on which it is hosted. To make this happen, we need leadership, from both regulators and industry. Standards don't have to come from government mandates. In fact, many of the most successful ones have emerged from coalitions of private-sector leaders, academics and technologists, such as the Financial Data Exchange, which helped define open protocols for sharing consumer financial data securely across banks and fintechs. The benefits of getting this right are hard to overstate. Consumer trust is foundational, not just to AI adoption but to long-term confidence in digital systems that increasingly act on our behalf. For businesses, especially smaller ones, well-defined standards level the playing field and reduce integration hurdles, enabling broader participation in the digital economy. And for the broader ecosystem, it ensures a competitive, innovation-rich environment where value — not gatekeeping — wins. The best markets are free, open and competitive, and that should be true especially when transactions are handled by AI. We don't have to repeat the mistakes of the past. We can build an AI ecosystem that is open, competitive and fair from the start. But that requires intention, collaboration and urgency. e, and that should The AI economy is moving fast. Let's keep it moving in the right direction. Benjamin Wiener is the global head of Cognizant Moment, the digital and customer experience arm of U.S. professional services firm Cognizant.
