India is witnessing digital transformation at an unprecedented rate, despite the digital divide. In this interaction, Metessh Bhati, Metesh Chief Digital and AI officer at Protean eGov Technologies, shares his vision on technology and innovation, as well as Protean’s product portfolio and its vital role in driving digital transformation in India. The discussion also highlights the importance of building Open Digital Ecosystems, which support businesses, students, and financial institutions by enabling open, standardized, and secure digital interactions.
Generative AI, distributed ledger technology, and quantum computing are of priority for you this year. What prompted this focus, and how do you envision these technologies transforming citizen services in India?
At Protean Technologies, our focus on Generative AI and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) is driven by a strategic foresight into their transformative potential for India, particularly in enhancing citizen services. What inspires us is that India is at a pivotal moment, aiming for rapid digital transformation using emerging technologies like GenAI, DLT, and quantum computing, all of which are key in making citizen services more efficient. We recognize their potential to address key challenges and leapfrog traditional infrastructure limitations.
We see Generative AI as a game-changer for citizen services, beyond just digitization, to a new level of hyper personalized and customized services. This includes developing intelligent conversational agents and voice-first interfaces for citizens. The shift to agentic AI in public service delivery promises a future where citizen interactions are not only efficient but also easy and empowering. DLT is crucial for building trust in digital transactions, especially with verifiable credentials. It makes records tamper-proof, and this is crucial in managing digital identities and issuing verified credentials like identification documents, educational certificates, professional licenses, and health records. While quantum computing is still nascent, we are looking at its potential for secure communications and reshaping citizenship services in diverse sectors, including identity, finance, transport, education, agriculture, commerce, and healthcare.
Please mention some of the key steps to address the digital divide, ensuring that the benefits of Digital Public Infrastructure reach rural and underserved areas.
The digital divide in India is a pressing challenge, particularly in rural and undeserved areas where limited infrastructure, digital literacy, and socio-economic factors hinder access to Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
For Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to be truly inclusive, we must ensure equitable access. Protean is driving key initiatives such as:
- Building Vernacular and Voice-first Interfaces: A lot of rural users do not understand English or text-heavy digital interfaces. Voice-first and multilingual AI-powered platforms break down language barriers, help users navigate digital services effortlessly, and ensure inclusive access to DPI for all.
- Public-Private Partnerships for Digital Literacy: collaborating with local governments, fintechs, and NGOs to conduct digital literacy campaigns and train local digital ambassadors.
- Low-cost, Offline-first Digital Solutions: Implementation of services that are fully functional in regions of low connectivity like SMS access, QR Codes, light-weight apps, and assisted digital services.
- Digital Identity and Financial Inclusion: Making Aadhaar-enabled authentication, e-KYC, and mobile banking in underserved regions.
- Incentivize DPI Adoption and Build Trust: Establish incentive schemes, success stories, grievance redressal, and local support systems for greater DI adoption.
- Prioritize Digital Inclusion in Essential Sectors: Deliver DPI-driven solutions in healthcare, education, and agriculture to demonstrate benefits and drive adoption.
These steps collectively help bring DPI benefits to rural India while reducing the digital gap.
Discuss the need for building robust and scalable Open Digital Ecosystems. What role do AI and DLT play in this framework?
Open Digital Ecosystems (ODEs) are essential for India’s digital future, acting as vital digital highways that unlock network effects and drive exponential progress by fostering interoperability, scalability, and inclusivity within the DPI framework. Strategically imperative, ODEs prevent siloed systems, promoting a unified digital landscape where open APIs encourage diverse participation, creating a vibrant ecosystem and better, cost-effective citizen services.
Protean has been at the forefront of building and supporting Open Digital Ecosystem (ODE) technology. We recall that it all started back in 2021, when Protean was the first backend gateway and registry to run in Kochi for an open mobility pilot program. Platforms like Protean Open Commerce (ONDC), VidyaSaarathi, and VidyaLakshmi are transforming commerce and education accessibility in India. These platforms enable businesses, students, and financial institutions by creating open, standardized, and secure digital interactions, ultimately showcasing the critical need for building robust and scalable Open Digital Ecosystems.
AI and DLT are foundational to Open Digital Ecosystems. AI serves as intelligence layer and DLT provides a backbone for trust and security. AI helps to find intelligent services and create personalized experiences for citizens. It also makes it easier to manage and govern these ecosystems. At the same time, DLT makes sure data sharing is secure and transparent. It supports decentralized identity and verifiable credentials that can be checked. DLT also boosts the overall security of ODEs making them stronger against cyber threats and failures.
In the realm of verifiable credentials, what unique challenges does Protean X address, and how does it ensure trust and security in digital ecosystems?
Protean X addresses the challenge of verifiable credentials in a unique manner. It prioritizes interoperability, adhering to W3C standards for seamless use across systems. User-centricity and privacy are key, ensuring user control and minimizing data exposure. It supports the DPI at the national level and is therefore designed for high scalability and performance. It also provides the governance and trust frameworks needed to encourage the acceptance of credentials on a wide scale.
Protean X ensures trust and security by leveraging X-one, a token less distributed ledger network, built for secure verifiable credential processing. It is also built on open software, enhances control and transparency, and is in line with open principles for increased governance and openness. These features, when paired with robust identity proofing and verification integration, and a focus on transparency and auditability, guarantee trust and security within Protean X and the larger digital ecosystem.
The BFSI sector faces constant threats of fraud. Can you discuss Protean’s AI-driven fraud detection systems and their impact on mitigating risks?
Fraud can cause serious financial loss along with damage to the reputation of the banking industry that is always under threat by fraudulent activities. Banks are solving this issue by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. These sophisticated systems function by analysing massive amounts of data in real time, identifying patterns, and flagging anomalies; they are extremely useful for detecting and preventing fraud.
Protean uses advanced AI models for fraud detection that uses real-time anomaly detection, behavioural analytics, and biometric verification. AI-driven risk engine monitors transactional patterns in real time to identify suspicious activities while ensuring high accuracy. The impact of these systems on mitigating BFSI risks is significant. They demonstrably lead to reduced fraud losses and better trust and security in financial institutions.
How important is collaboration with private sector players like Protean, in the transformation of India’s digital public infrastructure?
Public-private collaboration is crucial for the success of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure. Private players like Protean bring proven expertise, built over decades of pioneering large-scale digital infrastructure, which demonstrably fuels critical innovation and scalability within DPI projects, as seen in our cutting-edge ProteanX verifiable credential platform. Our established leadership ensures robust, future-proof solutions are developed and deployed rapidly, injecting vital private sector investment and a commitment to citizen-centricity, powerfully reflected in initiatives like Protean Life our platform for CSR and ESG impact. This deep experience and dedication to creating impactful digital solutions, further extended through platforms like Rise with Protean designed to simplify the discovery and application of digital assets, specifically APIs, microservices, and user journeys, makes collaborations with Protean and similar entities indispensable for realizing India’s ambitious DPI vision and delivering tangible, nationwide benefits for its citizens.
What is the role of citizens in shaping the future of India’s digital public infrastructure, and how can they be better engaged in the process?
Digital transformation is citizen centric. People’s Engagement: By taking part in all kinds of digital initiatives, providing feedback about public services, and adopting secure digital behaviours, people shape the ecosystem.
Some of the steps that the government could adapt are digital literacy & citizen participation. Engaging citizens through regular consultations, open communication, and local initiatives will enable them to do their part in developing effective digital infrastructure in a collaborative manner. Successful stories like Aadhaar and the UPI system show how much people’s involvement matters. UPI became used because of feedback, making sure it was safe, easy to use, and open to all. This has changed how people in India pay for things online. This collaborative approach proves how important it is to have citizens involved in making successful digital systems for everyone.
Protean is committed to empowering individuals and businesses alike. The company advocates for the crucial role of building a seamless, citizen-centric digital ecosystem that drives socio-economic upliftment and national progress. This interaction is a true example of how technology enables diverse communities to access digital solutions and drive inclusive growth.
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