IT MINISTER RAISES ALARM ON AI DANGERS GLOBALLY, SAYS LOK SABHA ELECTIONS SHOWED HOW …

Union minister Ashwini Vaishaw said that as the world looks at the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), it is also important to collectively figure out what guardrails need to be placed for its proper integration in social and democratic institutions.

Speaking at the 'Global IndiaAI Summit 2024' in the national capital, the minister said that nations and societies across the world are becoming increasingly aware of new threats and risks emerging from AI. He also asserted that an effective solution to such challenges can come only from collective global efforts.

“Over the last year, there has been a huge realisation about the dangers, the risks and the threats to our social institutions that AI can pose. In the recent general elections, we have seen how big a threat misinformation and fake news can be, and that threat gets multiplied manifold by the power of AI,” minister Vaishnaw emphasised.

The union minister said that not only India but other countries are also witnessing the emergence of AI-related risks. Whether in India, Europe, Japan or in the US, “we are facing the same challenges, and the Global South is today looking for universal support, a universal thought process, 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,” he explained.

Govt to launch comprehensive India AI Mission soon

At the event, the minister for Electronics and IT further said that the government will soon launch a comprehensive India AI Mission in the next 2-3 months. The mission was cleared by Cabinet earlier this year.

India AI Mission, first announced in June, is an initiative to nurture future talent in AI. The ministry has allocated a budget of Rs 10,372 crore for the program and aims to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application of AI.