The Secretary of State said the history of the present century was being shaped by developments across the region, with India and the United States positioned to influence its direction.
"Because if you think about the story and the history of the 21st century, it's being written in this region, and it's being written right now," he said. "The 21st century will be defined, for better or worse, by what happens in this region."
Rubio said the pace of global change was so rapid that people often failed to recognise the historical significance of events unfolding around them. "Sometimes when you're living through history, you don't really, you don't realise you're living through history because it's moving so fast," he said, referring to remarks he had made earlier to US consulate staff.
He said he believed the India-US relationship was already helping shape the century in a positive direction.
"I truly believe the relationship between the United States and India is defining, in many ways, in a positive way, what the 21st century can look like," he said.
Rubio identified artificial intelligence, superintelligence and quantum computing as major areas where India and the United States shared common interests. He said the world was witnessing technological advances at a pace faster than anything experienced in human history.
Comparing the present technological transformation with industrialisation, automation and the information age, Rubio said earlier innovations had produced both economic benefits and social disruptions.
"What we are living through now, in the age of super intelligence, in the age of quantum computing, is moving faster than any technological advance in all of human history," he said. "And so the challenge we face is, how do we harness the power of super intelligence? How do we harness the power of all of these things in a way that is beneficial, understanding that there will be downsides to it?"
He said India and the United States shared the same broad approach to these technologies and possessed the talent required to drive innovation.
"I say this to you because on that issue, the United States and India is aligned, perfectly aligned. We view it the same way," Rubio said.
He highlighted the contributions of engineers, innovators and creative thinkers in both countries, saying the two governments wanted advanced technologies to benefit humanity while minimising potential harm.
Turning to geopolitics, Rubio said secure trade routes and open sea lanes were essential for economic growth and international commerce. He argued that technological innovation and manufacturing would have limited global impact without the ability to move goods freely across international markets.
For India and the United States, he said, this made a free and secure Indo-Pacific a shared strategic priority. "That requires open sea lanes, as an example, and in particular for the United States and India, a free and secure Indo-Pacific," Rubio said.
He added that international shipping routes should remain accessible rather than fall under the control of any single country. "One in which no nation can claim dominance or ownership of international shipping lanes. On that issue, we are 100% and perfectly aligned," he said.
'Our alignment is extraordinary'
Rubio acknowledged that India and the US would not agree on every issue, but argued that their shared interests on major strategic questions were more important than individual disagreements.
"No two nations on Earth will ever be perfectly aligned on every issue, and of course, there will be times and points of disagreement," he said. "But on the core issues that matter, the core issues that define the national interest of both India and the United States, the alignment between our countries is extraordinary."
He argued that such cooperation carried particular significance because of the size and global influence of both countries.
India, with a population approaching 1.5 billion, and the United States, the world's largest economy, had an opportunity to influence developments that would shape the coming decades, he said.
"When two powers like that can be aligned on these issues that are going to define the 21st century then we have an opportunity together to write those pages in the history of the 21st century," Rubio said.