At Davos, SandboxAQ CEO outlines India’s AI opportunity

It is time to either embrace artificial intelligence or risk falling behind, whether for individuals, corporates or governments. India, according to SandboxAQ CEO Jack Hidary, is moving in the right direction, with AI offering significant potential for Indian companies to expand to global levels. SandboxAQ began as a moonshot unit within Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc before becoming an independent and influential enterprise.

Hidary launched a research group focused on AI and quantum technologies at Alphabet in 2016. In 2022, it was spun off as a standalone company. Its investors include former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who is now chairman of SandboxAQ, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, T Rowe Price and others.

The term “sandbox” refers to a secure testing environment, inspired by a child’s sandbox where ideas can be built, experimented with or dismantled without real-world consequences.

Now a B2B company, SandboxAQ focuses on enterprise solutions that combine AI and quantum technologies. These tools support drug discovery, materials science, navigation, cybersecurity and other applications for corporations and governments.

Speaking to PTI at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Hidary elaborated on his “AI or Die” thesis, which is also the title of his upcoming book. The message, he said, is that organisations that adopt AI will grow, while those that do not will struggle to survive.

He described the current moment as a major inflection point across industries, calling AI adoption an existential necessity rather than a “nice to have”.

In healthcare, AI enables faster drug discovery for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, reducing timelines that traditionally took 15 years or more.

In the energy sector, companies using AI-powered catalysts to convert oil and gas into new energy products are likely to succeed, he said.

India’s education sector is also critical. With a population of 1.4 billion, failure to adopt AI could limit the country’s ability to compete globally.

Addressing cybersecurity, which the World Economic Forum has identified as India’s biggest near-term risk, Hidary said digital security is fundamental to national security at both federal and state levels.

Critical infrastructure such as banking, telecom and public utilities are potential targets. Indian technology companies like Infosys, Wipro and TCS also hold vast amounts of customer data and operate globally, making strong cybersecurity essential for both corporates and governments.

While AI brings benefits, it also creates new vulnerabilities, Hidary said, calling for advanced AI tools to manage AI-related risks. SandboxAQ’s solutions are already used by banks, corporations and governments worldwide, including in the US.

In India, around 80 per cent of the economy operates in the physical world, covering sectors such as railways, energy, telecom and infrastructure. SandboxAQ’s AI tools are designed to impact these industries directly.

Hidary said his goal is to promote Indian intellectual property creation.

AI-driven molecular design could help India shift from being an IP consumer to an IP creator, particularly in life sciences. SandboxAQ concentrates on real-world applications involving physics, mathematics, chemistry, materials and medicine.

Since most of India’s economy exists beyond the digital sphere, these applications are vital. The company aims to drive transformation by working closely with both industry and government.