Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks in Johannesburg on Sunday
NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi sought a global compact to ensure AI is used for good and to prevent its misuse, saying this should be based on basic principles including effective human oversight, safety-by-design, transparency, and strict restrictions on the use of AI in deepfakes, crime and terror activities. To build a fair and just future for all, PM Modi said, India stood for development that is sustainable, trade that is trusted, finance that is fair, and progress in which everyone prospers. Citing the Covid-era global supply chain vulnerabilities, the PM underscored that nations cannot be viewed merely as markets, and must adopt a sensitive and long-term approach. “AI systems that impact human life, security, or public trust must be responsible and auditable. And, most importantly, while AI may enhance human capabilities, the ultimate responsibility for decision-making must always remain with human beings,” said the PM, addressing another G20 session on Sunday. The PM announced India had invited all G20 countries for the AI summit it would host in Feb next year with the theme ‘Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya – welfare for all, happiness for all’. PM Modi said India’s approach to AI is anchored on three pillars – equitable access, population-scale skilling, and responsible deployment. “Under the India-AI Mission, we are developing accessible high-performance computing so the benefits of AI reach every district and every language. This will provide scale and speed to our efforts toward human development,” he said, addressing the session on critical minerals and AI. The PM stressed that as technology continues to advance, both opportunities and resources are becoming increasingly concentrated in a few hands. “Around the world, competition over critical technologies is intensifying. This is a matter of concern for humanity, and it also poses an obstacle to innovation. To address this, we must bring about a fundamental change in our approach,” he said. “We must promote technology applications that are ‘human-centric’ rather than ‘finance-centric’, that are ‘global’ rather than merely ‘national’, and that follow ‘open-source’ models rather than ‘exclusive’ ones. India has sought to integrate this very vision into all of its technology projects,” he added. In this age of AI, PM Modi said, the world must swiftly shift approach from the ‘jobs of today’ to the ‘capabilities of tomorrow’. “Unlocking talent mobility is essential for rapid innovation. We made progress on this issue at the New Delhi G20 Summit. We hope in the coming years, the G20 will develop a global framework for talent mobility,” he said.
