Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come as a revolutionary tool with the ability to empower inclusive growth, bridge socio-economic gaps, and improve public service delivery in India. The present paper integrates salient policy frameworks, strategic programs, and academic perceptions to examine the capability of AI in facilitating rural development and enabling social good.Informed by national initiatives like the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (#AIforAll) and the Responsible AI for All approach, the narrative centres on AI innovations being frugal in scope and nature and ethical in goals and scope and keeping in view India’s specific population and infrastructural complexities. Research articles, industry insights, and the government report inform analysis along with a consideration of AI applications in agriculture, education, skill development, and governance.The research highlights the imperatives of AI literacy, localized AI development, and capacity development for enabling low-income and rural communities. In addition, the research reinforces the alignment of AI interventions with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting responsible use of AI that keeps within ethical limits and propels socio-economic transformation.The article concludes by outlining a blueprint to integrate AI into national development strategies with special emphasis on equity, accessibility, and sustainability.
S. et al. (2025) studied this question.