Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I am glad that The Economist of London has noted a phenomenon in rural India that I have been tracking for the past couple of years, particularly with the advent of AI chatbots. Thanks to the easily availability of smartphones and perhaps the world’s cheapest mobile data plans, people in rural India have been deploying the devices both for short form videos, often featuring themselves, as well as engage with AI chatbots.
As The Economist notes, Indian villages have fallen in love with short-form videos and chatbots. For them the convergence of so many technologies, such as smartphones, 4G internet and AI has created a disintermediated landscape where they can both express themselves without restraint and explore without boundaries.
I am glad that The Economist of London has noted a phenomenon in rural India that I have been tracking for the past couple of years, particularly with the advent of AI chatbots. Thanks to the easily availability of smartphones and perhaps the world’s cheapest mobile data plans, people in rural India have been deploying the devices both for short form videos, often featuring themselves, as well as engage with AI chatbots.
As The Economist notes, Indian villages have fallen in love with short-form videos and chatbots. For them the convergence of so many technologies, such as smartphones, 4G internet and AI has created a disintermediated landscape where they can both express themselves without restraint and explore without boundaries.
