The idea would have sounded far-fetched even a year ago. Governments regulate companies, subsidise them and sometimes shield them from foreign competition. They do not usually ask for a seat on the table. Yet recent reports on OpenAi in the US and Sarvam AI in India suggest that governments could end up owning stakes in some of the most important artificial intelligence (AI) companies being built today. It could mark a larger shift in how states are beginning to view AI not merely as a technology sector but as a strategic national asset.
A changing mindset
