AI’s next chapter — and India’s edge advantage

The following op-ed was prepared for India AI Impact Summit held from February 16-20, 2026.

Artificial intelligence is entering its next chapter - one that reshapes not only how computing works, but how people experience technology in their daily lives. Intelligence is no longer just a feature, but being built directly into devices and woven into systems and experiences so that it becomes ambient and always present.

In this next chapter, AI runs everywhere - across smartphones, PCs, wearables, cars, industrial machines, robots and connected infrastructure. These systems will understand context and the physical world around them and adjust in real time to our needs. Intelligence will operate quietly alongside us - working in the background, responding instantly, adapting continuously and ultimately expanding what's possible in productivity, creativity and learning.

This marks a fundamental shift in how humans interact with technology. The interfaces we've relied on for decades - screens, apps, menus - will matter less as intelligence becomes more natural and intuitive. We won't have to tell our devices what to do because they will understand our intent, anticipate what we want and act on our behalf. Some devices will increasingly see what we see, hear what we hear, understand what we read and write. In many cases, AI will feel less like a tool and more like a trusted assistant - always available, always learning and designed around us.

As agentic AI assistants become more common, they will become your personal companion in your home, the workplace and your car - everywhere you go. For example, in India, smart glasses are already being used to make digital payments using voice commands or by scanning a QR code. In your car, your AI assistant will not only help you find the fastest route but can also manage your errands, make recommendations or answer questions about places of interest.

In industries, edge AI boxes are being used to improve decision making and operational efficiency, including monitoring and optimizing production processes in a manufacturing facility or better managing inventory in a retail store.

Making these experiences real requires a new architecture - one where intelligence is distributed seamlessly across every computing device from cloud to edge. Training and deep reasoning will continue to scale in the cloud. At the same time, immediacy, perception and personalization, as well as ambient and physical AI will happen on devices - closer to people and things.

India's size, diversity, economic growth and digital momentum make it one of the most important countries for AI's next chapter. With hundreds of millions of connected users, a vibrant developer ecosystem and deep expertise across engineering and software, India is not simply adopting AI - it is helping define how AI can work for the world.

In agriculture, AI can help enable precision farming and natural resource optimization. Access to healthcare can be improved by on-device screening and diagnostics, which extend care into clinics, homes and remote communities. AI will realize the vision of smart cities with intelligent traffic management, smart infrastructure, security and more. And, AI-enabled devices, such as PCs, smartphones and wearables, will make education more personalized and support continuous, lifelong learning. These are not abstract ideas; they are practical pathways to broader participation in the AI economy.

To realize this future, democratizing access to AI is essential. That requires competitive and efficient data center technology, powerful on-device intelligence and advanced connectivity working together. It also requires an ecosystem approach - bringing together industry, startups, academia and policymakers to ensure innovation is trusted, accessible and sustainable.

At Qualcomm, we've been building toward this future - advancing high performance, power-efficient and heterogeneous computing, AI, and wireless technologies that enable intelligence everywhere. But no single company can define AI's next chapter alone. Progress will come through collaboration, from aligning technology with real-world needs, and from ensuring the benefits of AI extend beyond early adopters to entire societies.

With the right choices, India can help shape a future where intelligence empowers people, accelerates opportunity and reaches every community - setting an example the world can follow.