The News Freedom
New Delhi, December 12
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday said that the government strives to take maximum advantage of Artificial Intelligence’s capabilities for social development and inclusive growth, while also committing to its responsible and ethical usage. “India is the main player in the field of Artificial Intelligence( AI) talent and AI-related ideas and a vibrant AI spirit is visible in India as the Indian youth is testing and pushing the frontier of AI tech. The development mantra of India is ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas,” the Prime Minister said, underlining that the government has drafted its policies and programs with the spirit of AI for All.
Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said AI is becoming the biggest basis for sculpting the new future. “As AI can connect people, it not only ensures economic development but it ensures equality and social justice,” he added.
We are working to ensure ‘AI for All’ with a focus on responsible and ethical usage of AI. pic.twitter.com/s8nR3MLpHe
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2023
He emphasized the need to make AI more inclusive and said that the more inclusive, the development journey of AI, the more inclusive will be the results. He mentioned the unequal access to technology in the last century further accentuating inequality in the society. To avoid this, the Prime Minister asked that democratic values should not be neglected in technology to make it an inclusion multiplier. “The direction of AI development will totally depend on human and democratic values. It is up to us to keep a place for emotions along with efficiency, ethics along with effectiveness,” he said.
The Prime Minister emphasized that in order to make any system sustainable it is important to make it transformative, transparent and trusted. “There is no doubt that AI is transformative but it is up to us to make it more and more transparent,” he added. Keeping the data being used transparent and free from bias will be a good beginning, he said. He said that it is imperative to assure all the countries that no one will be left behind in the development journey of AI. “Trust in AI will grow only when related ethical, economic and social aspects are addressed. One way to do this is to make upskilling and reskilling part of the AI growth curve, he said. Data protection and assurances to the global south will also assuage many concerns,” he added.
Underlining the negative aspects of AI, the Prime Minister said that even though it has the potential to become the strongest tool for development in the 21st century, it can also play a pivotal role in its destruction. Pointing out the challenges of deepfake, cyber security, data theft and terrorist organizations getting their hands on AI tools, Prime Minister Modi stressed the need for countermeasures. He threw light on India’s proposal to create a framework for Responsible Human-Centric AI governance during India’s G20 Presidency and said that the G20 New Delhi Declaration has reaffirmed the commitment of all member countries towards ‘AI Principles’.
He emphasized working together just like the agreements and protocols on various international issues and creating a framework for the ethical use of AI, including the testing and development of high-risk or frontier AI tools. Stressing the need for conviction, commitment, coordination and collaboration, the Prime Minister called upon the entire world to not waste even a moment in this direction. “We have to complete the global framework within a given time limit. It is very important to do this to protect humanity,”he added.
Noting AI as a worldwide movement, the Prime Minister stressed the need for collaboration. He suggested a few questions that need to be addressed to enhance AI’s credibility such as data sets for testing and training AI tools, length and duration of testing before releasing any product to the market. He also asked whether a Software Watermark can be introduced to mark any information or product as AI-generated.
Addressing the stakeholders in the government, the Prime Minister asked them to explore the data of various schemes for evidence-based decision-making and see if the data can be used to train AI tools. He asked if there could be an audit mechanism that can categorize AI tools into red, yellow or green as per their capabilities. “Can we establish an institutional mechanism that ensures resilient employment? Can we bring standardized global AI education curriculum? Can we set standards to prepare people for an AI-driven future?”, the Prime Minister said.
Noting the hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects in India, the Prime Minister suggested using AI to make digital services available in local languages to increase digital inclusion. He also suggested using AI to revive the languages which are no longer spoken, taking forward the rich knowledge base and literature of the Sanskrit language and reuniting the missing volumes of Vedic mathematics.