I have enormous optimism and trust in India: Sunak

New Delhi: Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday highlighted the contrasting global perceptions toward artificial intelligence, noting that while countries like India display immense optimism, Western nations continue to grapple with anxiety over the emerging technology.

Speaking at the ‘Governing in the age of AI: Sovereignty, Impact and Strategy’ event in the national capital, Sunak stressed that addressing this disparity in public confidence remains a critical challenge for leaders worldwide. “Across the world, we’re seeing these different attitudes towards AI. In countries like India, where we are, there’s enormous optimism and trust, and in Western countries, we’re seeing that anxiety is still the dominant feeling towards AI,” Sunak said. The former UK Prime Minister further pointed out that bridging this confidence divide would require more than technological progress alone, calling for deliberate policy interventions to foster greater public trust.

“I think closing that confidence gap is as much a policy task as it is a technical one,” he added. Sunak’s observations came in a fireside chat with former UK PM Rishi Sunak, Meta’s Alexandr Wang at the ongoing India AI Impact Summit 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.