As America celebrates 250 years of independence, I write with deep gratitude, great admiration and growing concern. I arrived in the US 62 years ago as a young immigrant from India. America and Chicago opened doors to me, gave me education, work, freedom, opportunity, confidence and the space to build a family and dream. I experienced the power of America’s Constitution, the resilience of its democracy, the fairness of the rule of law, the openness of its universities, the energy of its entrepreneurs and the love of the American people.
For more than six decades, about 25 per cent of independent America’s life, I have lived the American experiment. It is imperfect, yet extraordinary. America’s greatness has never been only its wealth or military power. Its deeper greatness has been its spirit, optimism, openness, innovation, and belief in the individual.
America helped invent the modern world. Electricity, the telephone, the transistor, computers, the Internet, mobile communications and now AI have transformed the lives of billions. Much of this progress came from America’s unique ability to combine science, capital, universities, immigration, entrepreneurship and freedom.
America also showed moral imagination after World War II. Rather than celebrating victory, it helped rebuild Europe and Japan. It invested in alliances, institutions and understood that a stronger world would also make America stronger. This outward-looking America inspired the world.
But as we celebrate, we must also be honest. The history of humanity — including that of America — includes colonisation, slavery, violence, racism, exclusion, hunger, poverty and inequality. Too often, power has been used to dominate. Too often, progress has uplifted some while leaving many behind.
America’s genius has been its ability to confront its contradictions and renew itself. Today, humanity faces another turning point. AI will reshape every profession, institution and society. Climate change threatens the planet. Wars continue to destroy lives. Democracies are under pressure. Public trust is declining. Technology is connecting us, but also dividing us. No nation can solve these problems alone.
That is why America must resist the temptation to define the future mainly as a competition with China. The competition is real. America must invest in science, technology, education, infrastructure and national strength. But it did not become exceptional because it feared another nation. It became exceptional because it imagined a better future.
At 250, America should ask a larger question: How can we help humanity rise to the next level?
This is the moment for a new American pledge — humans deserve equal respect and dignity; opportunity must not depend on birth, race, gender, religion, geography or wealth; technology must serve people and the planet; democracy and the rule of law must be protected; freedom must include responsibility; prosperity must be shared.
AI gives America a historic opportunity to lead again — not merely in building powerful machines, but in building a more humane world. AI can help educate every child with a personal tutor. It can help doctors reach remote villages. It can improve agriculture, reduce waste, accelerate scientific discovery and make governments more responsive. But AI can also concentrate power, destroy trust, deepen inequality and manipulate minds.
This is where America’s founding ideals remain essential. Liberty, justice, equality before the law, freedom of thought and respect for human dignity can be the foundation for the AI age as well. To make America great is not enough. America is already great. The larger task is to make humanity greater.
On this 250th birthday, let us celebrate the American Dream. But let us also expand it. The first 250 years were about building a nation. The next 250 should be about helping humanity dream bigger — with equal respect, equal dignity, equal opportunity and equal possibility for all.
The writer is a telecom inventor, entrepreneur, and policy maker who has spent 50 years in IT
At 250, America should ask a larger question: How can we help humanity rise to the next level? (Reuters Photo) 
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