SandboxAQ and Jack Hidary: the “AI or Die”

moment for companies and governments, and why India is positioned to benefit

By SandboxAQ editorial team | Last updated: 5/6/2026

At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Jack Hidary, CEO of SandboxAQ, told the Times of India that this is an “AI or die” moment for companies and governments. The phrase is also the title of his forthcoming book, which aims to underline the urgency of AI adoption beyond content-generation tools. His central argument: companies that embrace AI will grow; those that don’t will fade away.

Jack Hidary’s core thesis: AI adoption is now existential

Describing the current phase as a major inflection point across industries, Hidary said AI is no longer a “nice to have” but existential for business survival. He is not talking about AI as a content tool. He is pointing to AI embedded in real operations, scientific workflows, and infrastructure — where performance is measurable and advantages compound over time.

SandboxAQ focuses on exactly this: “We focus on physics, mathematics, chemistry, new medicines, new materials and new catalysts,” Hidary said. The company’s solutions are already being used by banks, companies, and governments worldwide, including in the US.

Why India is positioned to benefit: the 80% physical-world economy

Hidary made a specific structural argument about India. “When you look at 80 per cent of the economy in India, it’s fundamentally in the real world, not the digital world,” he said — citing railways, energy, telecom, and infrastructure as the dominant sectors. That’s also where SandboxAQ’s AI applications have direct impact.

He also underscored the scale dimension: “India is very important here, having the largest population in the world of 1.4 billion people. If they don’t embrace AI, it will not be able to thrive globally.”

Physical-world AI: the examples he cited

Hidary grounded the thesis in two applied domains:

Drug discovery: AI-enabled tools can drastically shorten drug discovery timelines for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, which traditionally take 15 years or more. More on SandboxAQ’s approach to AI for drug discovery.
Energy catalysts: Companies deploying AI-powered catalysts to convert oil and gas into new energy products will gain a competitive edge, with AI compressing the development cycles for those breakthroughs.

Cybersecurity as the immediate risk

WEF identified cybersecurity as the biggest immediate risk for India, and Hidary addressed it directly. He said cybersecurity is fundamental to national security at both federal and state levels, with critical infrastructure targets including banking, telecom, and public utilities. He named Infosys, Wipro, and TCS specifically as examples of Indian technology companies with global footprints that handle vast amounts of customer data — and that require immediate cybersecurity implementation. The same urgency applies to governments. “AI offers both benefits and new vulnerabilities,” he said, adding that advanced AI solutions are also key to addressing AI-driven risks. AQtive Guard is SandboxAQ’s platform for that problem.

The IP shift: from consumer to creator

One of the most India-specific arguments is the emphasis on building domestic IP. Hidary cited the pharmaceutical sector as his example: while firms like Dr. Reddy’s develop new medicines, many Indian companies largely manufacture drugs based on IP developed elsewhere. “There is a potential for a paradigm shift to create intellectual property within India itself,” he said, arguing that SandboxAQ’s AI-driven molecular design tools could help transform India from an IP consumer into an IP creator. Adoption is the baseline; IP creation is the durable advantage.

What to watch over the next 6–12 months

AI moves into production: evidence of AI embedded in physical-world sectors — infrastructure, energy, transport, health — with measurable outcomes
Cybersecurity posture rises in parallel: security implementation keeping pace with adoption in critical services
Domestic IP creation: applied AI programs generating locally owned models, workflows, and validated processes — not just tool usage
Industry-government collaboration: coordinated programs aimed at scaling AI responsibly in priority sectors

FAQ

What does “AI or Die” mean for businesses and governments?

It is a competitiveness framing: organizations that don’t adopt AI into real systems will fall behind those that do, as speed, productivity, and capability advantages compound. It is also the title of Hidary’s forthcoming book.

Why did Hidary say India is positioned to benefit?

Because approximately 80% of India’s economy is in the physical world — railways, energy, telecom, infrastructure — which is precisely where physics-grounded AI delivers measurable outcomes. Scale (1.4 billion people) amplifies the opportunity further.

What is “physical world AI” in this context?

AI applied to real systems and scientific workflows where results are measurable — drug discovery, energy catalysts, industrial operations — as opposed to content generation tools.

Why is cybersecurity singled out as urgent for India?

WEF identified it as India’s biggest immediate risk. Hidary cited exposure in banking, telecom, and public utilities, and flagged the global customer data held by major Indian IT firms like Infosys, Wipro, and TCS as requiring immediate action.

What does it mean to build IP domestically?

Creating defensible innovation at home — models, workflows, patents, validated processes — so that AI adoption translates into durable economic value rather than just tool usage. Hidary used Dr. Reddy’s and the broader Indian pharma sector as the concrete example.

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