Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Railways and I&B Ashwini Vaishnaw stated on Wednesday that artificial intelligence (AI) can be a very powerful tool to solve many socio-economic problems, but we need to contain the risks associated with AI and the solution has to come via a global thought process as it cannot be done in isolation by any country.
Speaking at the ‘Global IndiaAI Summit 2024’ in the nation’s capital, where leaders and experts from 50 countries were present, the minister stated that while we recognize the potential of AI, we also need to work together to determine what limitations should be placed on the emerging technology in order to ensure that it is properly integrated with our democratic and social institutions.
“In the past year, there has been a significant awakening regarding the risks, hazards, and challenges that artificial intelligence can present to our societal structures. Minister Vaishnaw emphasized, “We saw in the recent general elections the extent of the threat posed by misinformation and fake news, and the capability of artificial intelligence only serves to magnify that threat.
According to him, new hazards based on artificial intelligence have emerged, and this is something that is not exclusive to India.
The minister declared, “To ensure that those harms are contained, we need to collaborate with the industry.”
“We are facing the same challenges, and the Global South is looking for universal support, a universal thought process, or at least some common basic principles on which the world has to respond to the potentials on the one hand and the challenges on the other,” the Union Minister said, referring to challenges faced by people in the US, Europe, Japan, and India.
The minister emphasized that the goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission for India has been to democratize technology and make it available to everyone.
“PM Modi has always taken the stance that everyone should have access to technology. The minister addressed the assembly, saying, “The Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is a classic case where no single payment or service provider has a monopoly over the industry.”
Furthermore, this strategy aligns with the last nine to ten years of the “Digital India” program.
The minister declared, “This is very much in line with what we are doing in the country in the healthcare, logistics, and financial services sectors.”
