Washington, May 9 : The United States wants countries in South and Central Asia, including India, to have access to â??world class technologyâ?? while avoiding dependence on adversarial nations, a senior State Department official said, underscoring Washingtonâ??s push to expand AI cooperation with New Delhi.

Addressing the US-India AI and Emerging Technology Forum, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Bethany Morrison said the focus is on ensuring technology access translates into tangible benefits for societies.

â??We want to make sure that countries in our region have access to world class technology and are able to get that integrated into their society to deliver the best value results for their people,â?? she said.

Morrison stressed that rapid advances in artificial intelligence must be matched with clear guardrails. â??But in order to fully realise the benefits of this incredible technology, we must be guided by the principles of openness, as well as focus on our security and our interoperability and avoid any dependencies on adversarial nations,â?? she said.

Morrison said the United States aims to â??export that AI technology and practice to the world,â?? aligning with a wider policy push to increase global access to US-developed AI tools.

â??AI is not the future the present, and it's made with American software, hardware and large language models,â?? she said, highlighting US leadership in innovation.

At the same time, Morrison pointed to growing Indian participation in the AI ecosystem, calling the bilateral relationship a driver of â??real deals and real results for both Indian and Americans.â??

She cited rising investment flows between the two countries, noting that Indian firms are committing significant resources to US technology infrastructure, while American companies are expanding operations in India. â??These are incredible and cutting edge investments that will have high impact in both the American and the Indian societies,â?? she said.

The official also emphasised the physical backbone of AI, including data centres, chips and energy supply. â??AI may seem like it conquers informationâ?¦ but it's very physical technology that requires chips as data centres, wires and electricity,â?? she said, pointing to the need for resilient supply chains.

Morrison said Washington and New Delhi are working together to build â??secure and trusted AI supply chainsâ?? and ensure long-term technological resilience.

She framed the current moment as a turning point in bilateral cooperation. â??We are incredibly excited about this moment in terms of both the tech advancements and the US India partnership,â?? she said, adding that â??the opportunities are limitless.â??

/IANS