On the second day of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar delivered a thought-provoking address that connected India’s cultural identity with the transformative power of technology and innovation.
“The process of change has a strong cultural dimension,” Jaishankar said, emphasizing that the global system must embrace diversity and move away from the historical dominance of colonialism and great powers. “To democratise the international system, we must give voice to our traditions, heritage, ideas, and creativity,” he stated, highlighting the need for a global narrative that includes the richness of India’s civilizational values.
He underlined the role of technology in this transformation: “That is best done by harnessing the power of technology more effectively. Innovation is key to the leapfrogging that will create Viksit Bharat by 2047.”
In a wide-ranging speech that addressed both cultural and geopolitical dimensions, Jaishankar called for “accompanying shifts in mindsets, frameworks, policies, and practices to build a global workplace and workforce,” noting that “neither talent nor tasking will be stationary. Smoother mobility can contribute to stronger creativity.”
Recognizing the complexity of the digital era, he said, “Today, there is a surfeit of information, and the challenge is getting attention. It is particularly important that young talent is made ready for it, including through skills diffusion.”
On artificial intelligence and emerging tech, Jaishankar offered both a warning and a direction: “Every advancement has its issues, and AI will be no different. Even as the politics of this era will grapple with authenticity concerns, businesses will have to deal with new intellectual property challenges… Reducing bias, democratising content, and prioritising its ethics are all part of the emerging discourse.”
The minister’s remarks highlighted India’s ambition to shape not only the economic but also the cultural and ethical contours of the future global order — with creativity, technology, and pluralism at its core.
