The annual Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit commenced at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on December 12, emphasizing crucial discussions on AI safety and development challenges. With participation from 29 countries across North and South America, Europe, and Asia, India stands as the lead chair for GPAI in 2024, excluding China from the member list.
Diverse Perspectives on AI
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his inaugural address, stressed the importance of addressing ethical, economic, and social aspects to build trust in AI. AI policymakers and industry experts were engaged in discussions, covering a broad spectrum of topics.
- Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the significance of exploring issues related to farming and healthcare during the summit.
- Paytm’s CEO, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, shed light on the challenges faced by Indian farmers in integrating data, emphasizing how AI could address ecological nuances, improve production, and bridge demand-supply gaps.
Data Governance and Ownership
- One prominent theme involved deliberations on data sharing and cross-border data flows. The Union Government, actively seeking to rebalance data ownership, aims to address these issues.
- Kavita Bhatia, a group coordinator at the IT Ministry, emphasized the importance of examining cross-border data flows within the context of equitable computing, an aspect to be discussed in the data governance working group of GPAI.
Modi’s Call for Institutional Mechanisms and Transparency
- Prime Minister Modi raised critical questions about AI’s impact on employment, global education curriculum, and the need for standardized AI standards.
- He called for an institutional mechanism to ensure resilient employment and proposed the development of a global AI education curriculum.
- Additionally, Modi addressed concerns related to the misuse of AI, invoking the idea of watermarking AI products to distinguish generated content. This is particularly relevant in countering deepfake clips and enhancing transparency in AI applications.
Addressing Security Concerns
- Highlighting the potential dangers of terrorists accessing AI tools and the increasing threat of cybersecurity and data theft, Modi emphasized the need for visibility into the algorithms used in AI models. He acknowledged the transformative power of AI but underscored the collective responsibility to ensure transparency in its deployment.