Hailing the development of artificial intelligence (AI) around the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said we are at the dawn of the AI age, with technology already reshaping economies and society as we know it. Addressing the 2024 AI Summit in Paris, Prime Minister Modi highlighted that India has successfully built a digital public infrastructure for over 1.4 billion at a very low cost.
“India 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 modernise our economy, reform governance and transform the lives of our people…Today, India leads in AI adoption and techno-legal solutions on data privacy…We have one of the world’s largest AI talent pools,” he said.
Thanking French President Emanual Macron for inviting him to co-chair the summit, PM Modi noted, “AI is already reshaping our economy, security and even our society. AI is writing the code for humanity in this century…We are at the dawn of the AI age that will shape the course of humanity.”
He highlighted that India is building its own large language model considering its diversity, “We also have a unique public-private partnership model for pooling resources like compute power. It is made available to our startups and researchers at an affordable cost. India is ready to share its experience and expertise to ensure that AI future is for good and for all…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 spoke about democratising the technology and creating a sense of trust and transparency when developing open source systems, “We must develop open source systems that enhance trust and transparency. We must build quality data centres free from biases, we must democratise technology and create people centre applications. We must address concerns related to cyber security, disinformation and deepfakes. We must also ensure that technology is rooted in local ecosystems for it to be effective and useful. Loss of jobs is AI’s most feared disruption, but history has shown that work does not disappear due to technology, only its nature changes. We need to invest in skilling and re-skilling our people for an AI-driven future.”
PM Modi addressed how fast AI is developing and suggested the need for collective global efforts to tackle risks, “AI is developing at an unprecedented scale and speed and being adapted and deployed even faster. There is also a deep interdependence across borders. Therefore, there is a need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards that upload our shared values, address risks, and build trust. But governance is not just about managing rifts 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 also emphasised that AI should be accessible to all, “Governance is also about ensuring access to all, especially in the Global South. It is where the capabilities are most lacking be it power, talent, or data for the financial resources. 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 pull together resources and talent. We must develop open-source systems that enhance trust and transparency. We must build quality data sets free from biases…”
He added in India’s perspective and said that, “Today, India leads in AI adoption and techno-legal solutions on data privacy…We have one of the world’s largest AI talent pools…”
