New Delhi, July 11 -- With Meta offering up to $100 million as sign-up bonuses to hire artificial intelligence (AI) talent, it has set the new global price of intelligence. Across the US and China, compensation for top talent in AI, quantum computing and other strategic technologies has decoupled entirely from traditional salary frameworks. What was once considered an executive-level package is now being paid to domain specialists, engineers and scientists.

In India, we speak confidently of becoming global champions in AI, semiconductors and battery innovation. But are we ready to pay for the talent required to get us there?

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