Nandan Nilekani flags AI backlash risk, calls diffusion of technology a necessity

Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani on Thursday said the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence could trigger a backlash unless its benefits are widely diffused and demonstrably useful to society, and the resentment among white-collar workers could potentially derail the technology’s progress.

At a fireside chat with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei at the AI Impact Summit 2026, the Infosys co-founder said there is currently both a “race to the top” and a “race to the bottom” in AI development, with the latter moving faster and stressed that stakeholders must accelerate efforts to ensure AI is applied for meaningful public good.