High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

His Excellency the Prime Minister of India, all the esteemed Heads of State and Government, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me to join you in New Delhi at this unique moment when Artificial Intelligence is already transforming economies, governance systems and societies. AI technology is a transformative force that creates a massive impact on national growth trajectories, just as industrialization did in past centuries.

However, the growing gap between countries with strong AI capabilities and those without them creates a serious risk of many countries being left out of the digital economy. Countries that fall behind may be further impacted by global growth and new economic opportunities, putting at risk the inclusive, equitable and Sustainable Development Goals we aspire to.

Today, like many emerging economies, Sri Lanka has yet to develop the infrastructure needed to fully embrace AI. Therefore, we are at a critical moment which requires us to act with purpose and vision in a confident and unwavering manner.

Sri Lanka has a young, technologically-skilled human resource base. We also have a strong legal system, an economic culture that is linked to trade and international partnerships. We are modernizing our legal frameworks on personal data protection and cybersecurity, continuing to invest in digital public infrastructure, encouraging innovation, and strengthening institutional systems that can safeguard public trust and security.

The world is currently debating the intentions, rights and safety of AI technology. But here I would like to point out a crucial aspect that has been overlooked so far. That is, ‘cultural adaptation’. These technologies should help further promote the cultural values ​​and capabilities of humanity. If world-class AI technology is limited to just a few languages ​​and ideologies, there is a risk of losing our unique cultural diversity. For countries like Sri Lanka and India, their languages and cultures are the basis of respect and trust.

Inclusion and Preservation are required in order to realize cultural adaptation of this nature. We need to digitize our indigenous languages ​​and cultural knowledge and integrate them into artificial intelligence systems.
 
Similarly, it is paramount to focus on safety and security. Security systems that can prevent harmful impacts of AI on our cultural values must be established.
 
Our vision is not isolation — it is integration. We see AI infrastructure as the next frontier of economic and cultural cooperation. Therefore, Sri Lanka proposes ‘regional collaboration. It is extremely important to be based on the four pillars of controlled low-resource language datasets, common evaluation metrics and security tools, and joint capacity development. I believe that this effort will enable broad and equitable access to the benefits of AI across our region.
 
In this context, Sri Lanka is exploring the development of AI-enabled data infrastructure that can meet not only national but also regional needs. Working closely with India and other nations, which are reaching towards global leadership in Digital Public Infrastructure and technological capabilities, Sri Lanka has great potential to establish sustainable, secure and future-ready AI data center capacities.
 
Distinguished guests,
 
We are well aware that no country can develop an AI ready future in isolation. It is a pleasure that the Joint-Statement which we agree upon in New Delhi, focusing on the views expressed by different countries at the global and regional level, has highlighted the importance of our mutual cooperation.
 
Therefore, Sri Lanka is ready to learn, collaborate, and move forward together with all those who share the same values ​​of inclusive and ethical AI.
 
Thank you.