India took a significant step towards harnessing the transformative power of artificial intelligence and digital public infrastructure during the third Aadhaar Samvaad event held in Delhi. The event, organized by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), brought together over 750 senior policymakers, experts, technocrats, and sector leaders to discuss Aadhaar’s role in fostering innovation, inclusion, and integration for smarter governance and secure identities.
The Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Railways, and Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, inaugurated the event and described artificial intelligence as the new industrial revolution. Highlighting Aadhaar’s pivotal role as the cornerstone of several government initiatives, he urged stakeholders to explore innovative ways to integrate AI with digital public infrastructure to fuel growth and development while safeguarding user privacy.
A key highlight of the event was the unveiling of a new Aadhaar mobile application designed to offer secure digital verification and QR-based data sharing. The app, which empowers users to have complete control over their personal information, eliminates the need for physical documents by allowing secure data exchange through QR code scanning. It incorporates Aadhaar face authentication, a technology that has witnessed rapid adoption, clocking over 150 million transactions each month. The app has been released to a select group of early adopters, including attendees of the Aadhaar Samvaad, with plans for a broader rollout based on feedback.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, S Krishnan, emphasized Aadhaar’s role in accelerating inclusion and supporting economic growth. By preserving privacy while authenticating identities, Aadhaar serves as a sophisticated system that underpins India’s digital transformation. Saurabh Garg, Secretary of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, praised Aadhaar’s rapid expansion and its importance in the realm of data-driven development.
Neelkanth Mishra, Chairman of UIDAI, highlighted the achievements of Aadhaar in expanding digital public infrastructure and acknowledged the significant work that remains to be done. He noted that Aadhaar face authentication is becoming increasingly robust and transformative in the authentication landscape. Bhuvnesh Kumar, CEO of UIDAI, reflected on the humane aspect of Aadhaar, sharing that its ecosystem has facilitated the reunion of missing children with their families, showcasing its societal impact.
This Aadhaar Samvaad marked the third edition in a series of engagements focusing on Aadhaar’s integration into key sectors. While the first edition in Bengaluru focused on industries and technologies within the digital identity space, the second in Mumbai addressed its applications in the fintech and telecom sectors. This latest edition emphasized innovation, inclusion, and integration, exploring how Aadhaar can further strengthen governance and benefit citizens.
The discussions during the event revolved around adopting new technologies and processes in Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, expanding Aadhaar usage for governance, strengthening its ecosystem, and ensuring data privacy. UIDAI also demonstrated the Sandbox and showcased other innovative products, including the mobile app, which is expected to redefine how Aadhaar holders interact with service providers.
As the event concluded, stakeholders expressed optimism about the actionable insights gained from the discussions. These are expected to enhance Aadhaar’s utility in authentication services, broaden its applications, and lay the foundation for new use cases that further benefit people across the nation.
