New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- Vilas Dhar has been among the earliest global leaders to argue that Artificial Intelligence (AI) must be governed as long-term civic infrastructure rather than short-term commercial technology. Under his leadership, the $1.5 billion Patrick J McGovern Foundation, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, has deployed over $500 million specifically toward AI as public infrastructure, working closely with governments, multilaterals, and public institutions across the globe.

Dhar will be part of three panels at the India AI Impact Summit, to be held in India next week. In an interview with Mint, Dhar spoke about AI governance, philanthropy's evolving role, India's unique opportunity to build public AI infrastructure, and...