A new era of AI with embryonic AI agents

As AI evolves beyond static models, the U.S. and India collaborate to develop self-learning AI systems, revolutionizing sectors from healthcare to defense and paving the way toward Artificial General Intelligence.

By Rajesh Mehta and Rohan Hundia

The United States and India have long been key partners in the world of technology, with their collaboration entering an exciting new phase through the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While historically centered around software services and outsourcing, their partnership now extends into cutting-edge AI advancements. Among these is the concept of embryonic AI agents—self-evolving systems capable of continuous learning. This marks a major leap from AI models like GPT-3 and GPT-4, which, while revolutionary, remain fixed after their initial training.

Embryonic AI agents are different. They adapt and evolve by constantly processing real-time data, making them ideal for managing complex, changing conditions in healthcare, defense, education, and other key sectors. Unlike GPT-3, which has 175 billion parameters but cannot learn beyond its training, these agents can refine their abilities over time, developing greater intelligence as they gather new data.

The India-U.S. partnership has already paved the way for this new generation of AI. In 2022, India’s IT exports reached $227 billion, with a growing portion coming from AI-driven services. The U.S., on the other hand, continues to lead in AI research and development, pouring more than $100 billion annually into the field. Together, the two nations contribute to nearly a third of the world’s AI research output, and joint AI patent filings between them have surged by 220% in the last five years.

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Healthcare is a critical sector where these AI agents could make a transformative impact. India’s vast and diverse population of over 1.4 billion faces challenges in healthcare delivery, especially in rural areas where resources are limited. Embryonic AI agents can autonomously process patient data, learning from every interaction to make diagnostics more accurate and treatments more tailored. For India, where chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease are on the rise, such AI-driven solutions could help bridge the gap between urban and rural healthcare. Collaborating with U.S.-based AI experts, India can bring advanced healthcare technologies to scale, offering affordable, high-impact solutions to the country’s healthcare challenges.

As Elon Musk once observed, the true breakthrough in AI will come when systems stop being merely reactive and start proactively anticipating needs. Embryonic AI agents embody this vision, adapting like living organisms to meet ever-changing demands.

Beyond healthcare, these agents could revolutionize defense and security. India and the U.S. already share a strong defense relationship, and the integration of AI into national security efforts will allow both nations to better respond to evolving threats. Embryonic AI agents, with their real-time learning capabilities, could be pivotal in cybersecurity, autonomous surveillance, and threat detection. As cyberattacks grow more sophisticated, AI agents will play a key role in neutralizing threats, continuously learning from past experiences to prevent future attacks.

The 2022 U.S.-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative has laid the foundation for this collaboration, enabling the two nations to jointly develop AI systems for autonomous threat response, surveillance, and other high-stakes defense tasks.

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The impact of AI won’t be limited to these sectors. Andrew Ng, a leading AI expert, has compared AI’s transformative potential to that of electricity—something that touches nearly every industry. In education, AI agents could offer personalized learning experiences, helping underserved students access high-quality education tailored to their needs. The combination of U.S. innovation and India’s vast need for scalable education solutions could make AI a powerful force for equality.

Embryonic AI agents also mark a crucial step toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), the future where machines will be able to think and reason across different domains just like humans. Though AGI remains a distant goal, embryonic AI agents bring us closer to that reality. These systems’ ability to autonomously learn and adapt across multiple tasks could someday lead to AGI, where machines generalize their knowledge across all fields. This journey towards AGI is accelerated by the foundational contributions from thought leaders like John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton whose groundbreaking work on machine learning earned them a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2024. Their early contributions laid the foundations of neural networks, the way machine learns, opening doors to deeper intelligence that will drive AI in every domain from biotech and space exploration to economics and policy making.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, once noted that the real goal is creating AI that “learns how to learn.” This is the essential building block for AGI, and ongoing research at institutions like Stanford and Harvard is pushing AI in this direction. The impact of such breakthroughs will be global, not just limited to India and the U.S., as more advanced AI systems unlock solutions to humanity’s most complex challenges.

As AI evolves, ensuring responsible use becomes more crucial. Both countries will need to prioritize AI ethics, privacy, and transparency. The 2021 U.S.-India AI Initiative provides a framework for this collaboration, setting guidelines for the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies. Together, India and the U.S. can lead the world in advancing AI in ways that benefit all of society while addressing critical ethical concerns.

In conclusion, embryonic AI agents represent a new era of artificial intelligence, offering vast potential for deeper collaboration between India and the U.S. These dynamic, learning systems not only hold the power to address challenges in healthcare, defense, and education but also serve as a stepping stone toward the broader vision of Artificial General Intelligence.

(Rajesh Mehta is a leading international consultant in the field of Market Entry, Innovation, and Public Policy. Rohan Hundia, CEO and MD of Unada Labs, is a pioneering tech founder driving innovation in AI and its applications across a range of industries.)

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