AI Can Deepen Telecom Network Autonomy, but Accountability Must Stay: TRAI Chief

Artificial intelligence can help India's telecom sector advance toward networks that operate with far greater autonomy, but that shift must not weaken accountability, TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said in New Delhi.

Speaking at CO.AI 2026, Lahoti framed AI as something larger than a fresh network generation or an added application layer. In his view, it is a capability that shapes how networks are run, how services are conceived, how risks are spotted and how choices get made.

He noted that telecom networks rank among the country's most complex infrastructure systems, and said the industry is positioned to go past conventional automation toward systems that can function with a higher degree of independence.

That transition, he cautioned, has to come with suitable safeguards. Automation, he said, should sharpen results without clouding who is answerable — a point he returned to while urging operators and technology firms to put money into responsible AI and keep people in the loop for high-impact systems.

Lahoti identified three strengths underpinning India's position: a vast digital population, one of the world's largest telecom markets, and a widening AI and technology ecosystem. With those in place, he said, AI is already helping operators make smarter use of network data and deliver improved services.

India has already shown it can build digital systems at exceptional scale, he added, but the coming phase will call for pairing that scale with intelligence and trust. From the regulatory side, he said TRAI stays committed to enabling responsible AI deployment and nurturing a resilient ecosystem that advances digital inclusion and sustainable growth in telecom.

The next chapter of India's digital transformation, he argued, will be measured not just by how many people are connected, but by how intelligently, securely, inclusively and responsibly those connections are made.