China recently announced that it generated a $1 trillion trade surplus in just 11 months, a staggering outcome that reinforces its dominance in global manufacturing and commerce.
At the same time, India is stepping boldly into the global AI debate, proposing a landmark rule that would require companies like OpenAI and Google to pay royalties for using copyrighted data in training their models. If implemented, this policy could fundamentally reshape how the world’s largest AI companies operate in one of their most strategic growth markets.
India has moved to the center of the global debate over AI training data with a sweeping proposal that would force companies such as OpenAI and Google to pay royalties for using copyrighted material — a move that could reshape how the world’s largest AI firms operate inside one of their most important growth markets.
On Tuesday, the country’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade released a proposed framework that would grant AI developers automatic access to all copyrighted works for training in exchange for paying royalties into a new collecting body composed of rights-holding organizations. According to Tech Crunch, the money would then be distributed to creators.
India’s proposal argues that such a “mandatory blanket license” would lower compliance costs for AI firms while ensuring that writers, musicians, artists, and other creators are compensated when their work is scraped into datasets that power commercial models.
Good People, if you are not paying attention, please do. The world is experiencing a profound realignment. When China can produce a $1 trillion surplus without depending on the United States due to tarriffs, it signals something unmistakable: China has essentially won the economic battle for global production.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026): big discounts for early bird.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab: From Technical Design to Deployment (next edition begins Jan 24 2026).
And India is rising with equal force, asserting control, shaping global AI policy, and redefining digital sovereignty. A tectonic shift is underway!
For Africa, this moment demands clarity and pragmatism. Power flows from economic capability, not speeches or political posturing. Europe may criticize China loudly, yet European nations continue buying “Made in China” at scale because economic competitiveness, not rhetoric, determines outcomes.
My message is simple: If we cannot compete, the speeches mean nothing.
Africa must build, industrialize, innovate, and strengthen its economic base because in the new global order, only those with economic power will have influence.
---
Connect via my
LinkedIn |
Facebook |
X |
TikTok |
Instagram |
YouTube