While observing that the world is at the dawn of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) age that will shape the course of humanity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, called upon the global community to address concerns related to cyber security, disinformation, and deep fakes.
“’We must build quality data sets, free from biases. We must democratise technology and create people-centric applications. We must address concerns related to cyber security, disinformation, and deep fakes. And, we must also ensure that technology is rooted in local ecosystems for it to be effective and useful,” he said while addressing the AI Action Summit in Paris. The Indian leader was co-chairing the summit with French President Emmanuel Macron.
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Mr Modi observed that AI can help transform millions of lives by improving health, education, agriculture and so much more. It can help create a world in which the journey to Sustainable Development Goals becomes easier and faster. ”To do this, we must pool together resources and talent. We must develop open-source systems that enhance trust and transparency,” he added.
Pointing out that the loss of jobs is AI’s most feared disruption, he said history has, however, shown that work does not disappear due to technology. Its nature changes and new types of jobs are created. ”We need to invest in skilling and re-skilling our people for an AI-driven future,” he added.
Emphasising that the high energy intensity of AI needs to be looked into, the PM said this would require green power to fuel its future. ”India and France have worked together for years through initiatives like the International Solar Alliance to harness the power of the sun. As we advance our partnership to AI, it is a natural progression from sustainability to innovation to shape a smarter and responsible future,” he added.
The PM said sustainable AI does not only mean using clean energy. AI models must also be efficient and sustainable in size, data needs and resource requirements. After all, the human brain manages to compose poetry and design space ships using less power than most lightbulbs, he remarked.
Mr Modi said AI is already re-shaping polity, economy, security and even societies. ”AI is writing the code for humanity in this century. But, it is very different from other technology milestones in human history,” he added.
He noted that AI is developing at an unprecedented scale and speed. And being adopted and deployed even faster. There is also a deep inter-dependence across borders. ”Therefore, there is a need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards that uphold our shared values, address risks, and build trust,” he added.
He, however, stated that governance is not just about managing risks and rivalries. It is also about promoting innovation, and deploying it for the global good. ”So, we must think deeply and discuss openly about innovation and governance,” he told the world leaders.
Governance, the PM said, is also about ensuring access to all, especially in the Global South. It is where the capacities are most lacking – be it compute power, talent, data, or the financial resources, he regretted.
Talking about India, he said the country has successfully built a Digital Public Infrastructure for over 1.4 billion people at a very low cost. It is built around an open and accessible network. It has regulations, and a wide range of applications to modernize our economy, reform governance and transform the lives of the people.
”We have unlocked the power of data through our Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture. And, we have made digital commerce democratic and accessible to all. This vision is the foundation of India’s National AI Mission,” he added.
Noting that India today leads in AI adoption, and techno-legal solutions on data privacy, the PM said his country is developing AI applications for public good. ”We have one of the world’s largest AI talent pools. India is building its own Large Language Model considering our diversity. We also have a unique public-private partnership model for pooling resources like compute power. It is made available to our start-ups and researchers at an affordable cost. And, India is ready to share its experience and expertise to ensure that the AI future is for Good, and for All,” he added.
”Some people worry about machines becoming superior in intelligence to humans. But, no one holds the key to our collective future and shared destiny other than us humans. That sense of responsibility must guide us,” he said.
