The United States has called on countries across South and Central Asia, including India, to adopt American-developed artificial intelligence while steering clear of technology dependencies on adversarial nations, a senior State Department official said on 9 May. The remarks, delivered at the US-India AI and Emerging Technology Forum, signal Washington's intensifying push to deepen AI cooperation with New Delhi.

What the US Official Said

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bethany Morrison told forum delegates that the priority is ensuring technology access translates into concrete societal benefits. "We want to make sure that countries in our region have access to world class technology and are able to get that integrated into their society to deliver the best value results for their people," she said.

Morrison was equally emphatic about the guardrails required. "But in order to fully realise the benefits of this incredible technology, we must be guided by the principles of openness, as well as focus on our security and our interoperability and avoid any dependencies on adversarial nations," she said — a formulation widely read as a reference to China-linked technology ecosystems.

America's AI Export Ambition

Morrison framed the United States as the world's primary AI supplier, stressing that Washington aims to "export that AI technology and practice to the world." She underscored the material foundations of that leadership: "AI is not the future — the present, and it's made with American software, hardware and large language models."

This aligns with a broader US policy push to expand global access to domestically developed AI tools, positioning American firms as the default partners for nations building out digital infrastructure.

India-US Investment Flows

Morrison pointed to rising cross-border investment as evidence that the bilateral relationship is already delivering results, calling it a driver of "real deals and real results for both Indian and Americans." She noted that Indian firms are committing significant resources to US technology infrastructure, while American companies are simultaneously expanding operations in India. "These are incredible and cutting edge investments that will have high impact in both the American and the Indian societies," she said.

Physical Infrastructure at the Core

The official also highlighted the often-overlooked physical backbone of AI deployment — data centres, semiconductors, and energy supply chains. "AI may seem like it conquers information… but it's very physical technology that requires chips as data centres, wires and electricity," Morrison said, underscoring the need for resilient and trusted supply chains.

She confirmed that Washington and New Delhi are actively working to build "secure and trusted AI supply chains" aimed at ensuring long-term technological resilience for both nations.

A Turning Point in Bilateral Cooperation

Morrison characterised the current moment as a strategic inflection point. "We are incredibly excited about this moment in terms of both the tech advancements and the US India partnership," she said, adding that "the opportunities are limitless." This comes amid growing global competition over AI standards, chip supply chains, and data governance frameworks — areas where the US-India partnership is increasingly seen as a counterweight to rival technology blocs.