Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands at the core of the fourth industrial revolution and presents India withunprecedented potential to modernize services, enhance governance, and act as a development multiplieracross critical social sectors like healthcare, education, and public welfare. AI applications, leveraging India’sgrowing digital public infrastructure, promise efficiency in diagnosis, personalized learning, and fraudprevention in welfare schemes. However, this rapid implementation comes with profound ethical and legalchallenges. Key risks include the reinforcement of social inequalities due to algorithmic bias againstmarginalized communities, privacy invasions from massive data collection, and exclusion exacerbated by thepersistent digital divide and infrastructural deficits, particularly in rural areas. This article analyzes the specificopportunities and risks associated with AI deployment in India and underscores the urgent need for acomprehensive, risk-based governance framework that ensures AI systems are equitable, transparent, andaligned with constitutional principles