New York/Washington, Jan 17 (PTI) White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has renewed his criticism of India, questioning why Americans are paying for Artificial Intelligence in India.

Navarro's comments on Saturday came amid a strain in India-US ties, which began after US President Donald Trump slapped a 50 per cent tariff on New Delhi, including a 25 per cent additional duty for its purchase of Russian crude oil.

In an interview on Real America's Voice, Navarro said,"…It’s like, why are Americans paying for AI in India? Chat GPT (is) operating on US soil, using American electricity, servicing large users of Chat GPT, for example, in India and China and elsewhere around the world. So that's another issue that's got to be dealt with." His comments came as ties between New Delhi and Washington are reeling under strain on several other issues apart from tariffs, including Trump's claim of ending the India-Pakistan conflict in May last year and Washington's new immigration policy.

Last year, Navarro consistently ranted against India for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil and high tariffs, calling India the "Maharajah of tariffs." He had also termed India's purchases of Russian oil as "blood money" and said Delhi didn't buy oil from Moscow in large quantities before the Ukraine conflict.

New Delhi has maintained that, like any major economy, it will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.

In a diatribe targeting the BRICS nations, Navarro had said the "bottom line" is that none of the countries in the grouping can "survive if they don't sell to the United States. And when they sell to the United States, their exports, they're like vampires sucking our blood dry with their unfair trade practices." PTI YAS GRS GRS GRS

Navarro questions why Americans are funding AI use in India amid tariffs and escalating trade tensions. Peter Navarro criticised the economic implications of American-funded Artificial Intelligence services servicing large foreign users, questioning why Americans would bear costs for AI use in India and linking cross-border AI consumption to domestic economic concerns. He situated the remarks within broader bilateral trade strain, referencing a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods and an additional 25 percent duty related to Russian crude purchases, and reiterated prior attacks on India's tariff policies and oil purchases while India affirmed measures to safeguard national interests and economic security.