In a recent session of the Rajya Sabha, MP Kartikey Sharma asked key questions regarding the effect of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on society and what the government is proactively doing to combat the challenges AI may pose. He asked what the government is doing in regard to the ethical concerns and privacy issues, job displacement, and what it envisions as plans to make AI more popular and build skill around AI. In response, Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, discussed the multi-pronged approach taken by the government while focusing both on the opportunities and challenges that this growth of AI brings forth.
The Vision of ‘AI for All’
The Indian government is committed to the vision of ‘AI for All’, which supports Prime Minister’s ambitions in harnessing cutting-edge technology for country’s betterment. The wide distribution of AI benefits for innovation, economic growth, and social empowerment takes place within healthcare, agriculture, education, governance, and DPI.
Ethical and Security Concerns of AI
While AI opens wide doors of opportunities, it also brings forward risks that need to be managed wisely. Issues such as hallucination, bias, misinformation, and deepfakes are all issues that the government is aware of and has tackled through a series of policies set forth to create a trusted digital ecosystem.
The government notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules in 2021, amended in 2022 and 2023. This set of rules will create specific legal obligations on the intermediaries, like social media, that can be used to hold the parties responsible for it and can remove harmful content such as misinformation and deepfakes. Non-compliance with these provisions results in ‘safe harbor’ protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which makes the intermediaries liable to be prosecuted.
To further strengthen data security, the government passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 on August 11, 2023. It made the data fiduciaries liable for providing digital personal data protection to the data principals and liable to hold the data handlers accountable for the rights they enjoyed.
Framework for Responsible AI
To this end, the government set up an Advisory Group on AI that will work out an India-specific regulatory AI framework. This group consists of members from academia, industry, and government, with the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister as the chairman. It seeks to build a responsible and trustworthy framework for AI development and deployment that aligns with national needs and international standards.
AI and Job Creation: Opportunities in Disguise
The biggest fear of people with regards to AI is job replacement. But the government treats AI as an enabler, not a job killer. Even though AI automates many routine tasks, it opens up new possibilities in data science, the development of AI models, and data curation and thus creates a lot of jobs. In order to facilitate this process, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, MeitY has initiated the ‘FutureSkills PRIME, a reskilling and upskilling program targeted at IT professionals in emergent technologies, including AI.
AI Skills Development Building: IndiaAI Mission
A skilled workforce development remains central to the IndiaAI Mission through the increase of AI graduates and postgraduates wherein the students enrolled in all AICTE recognized engineering institutions are being provided with fellowships. In this regard, supporting fellowships for PhD students throughout the country are undertaken with respect to supporting PhD fellowships offered in the highest ranked research institutes that in turn helps nurture more research and development activities across the field of AI.
One of the most significant efforts in terms of raising AI awareness and building skills is the “National AI Portal” (https://indiaai.gov.in/), which serves as a comprehensive resource for information on AI. Articles, publications, and webinars have been developed in this portal covering a range of topics on AI, from its applications to ethical considerations. This portal enables individuals, researchers, and industry professionals to access knowledge and participate in sessions to better understand AI technologies and their implications.
International Cooperation and the Global AI Agenda
India is heavily engaged at the global level to provide confidence in the safe and reliable development of AI. It is a co-founder and current chair of GPAI, and it has already hosted summits like Global IndiaAI Summit and GPAI Summit 2024 in July and 2023 in December. There were government representatives along with industry experts and academic individuals who deliberated upon the development and strategically planned the responsible use of AI technologies.
Future of Artificial Intelligence: India
The Indian government is highly interested in exploiting AI at its full potential and controlling risks that accompany this rapidly developed area. The country is paving its future by ensuring AI contributes positively towards the society and helps in sustainable growth through regulations, education, and international cooperation.
The government is well aware that AI presents so many opportunities, yet it has to introduce AI in society responsibly. The measures will be designed to bring about a system that is safe, trustworthy, and beneficial to everyone. Its ultimate goal would be for AI growth to continue supporting economic and social growth, enhancing India’s lead in innovation in AI.
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