Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair urges AI sovereignty at Cyber Suraksha Summit
Gaganyaan astronaut and Indian Air Force pilot Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair wants India to have "AI sovereignty" (basically, control over its own artificial intelligence) to keep the country's digital world safer.
At the Kerala Cyber Suraksha Summit 2026, he said that just having cybersecurity isn't enough if India doesn't actually own and manage its AI tech.
Summit: Ransomware up 389%, India ₹19,813cr
Nair pointed out that as AI gets more common, it's getting harder to tell what's real online. He urged for a "whole-of-nation approach" to handle these challenges together.
The summit also highlighted how cyber threats are rising fast: there has been a 389% rise in ransomware victims worldwide, year-over-year, and India lost ₹19,813 crore to cyber fraud in 2025 alone.
Experts say there is a huge need for more people working in cybersecurity, and smarter ways to manage AI safely.