With an increase in use cases of AI and its potential negative impact, several countries and regions are drafting frameworks to limit the use of the technology. Along similar lines, IT minister
Rajeev Chandrasekhar
has said that instead of regional frameworks, there is an urgent need for a
global framework
before it’s too late to fully understand AI.
“We need a global framework urgently because, in the next 6-9 months, AI will take shape and evolve in a way that we may not anticipate or fully understand,” said Chandrasekhar.
He said that the focus should be on creating a global framework, and not an American or European framework. He pointed out that the ubiquitous nature and the crimes on the internet show that 80-90% of cybercrime or harms are extra-jurisdictional.
“The perpetrator may be in one jurisdiction, the victim in another, and the crimes in a third. Our approach is to ensure there are some principles, make sure there is a list of harms and criminalities as we see it today, and then keep adding to it as we encounter malicious models, biased, bigoted models, and algorithms,” he said.
Chandrasekhar explained his point by using an example of deepfakes. He said that deepfakes – digital media altered to create an impression of authenticity – are a classic example of AI technology being used to spread misinformation.
“It creates divisions, incitements, and fake narratives. Misinformation has been a problem in social media; now imagine misinformation powered by AI,” the Minister added.
AI can propel India’s digital economy
While talking about the impact of technology in digital India, the minister highlighted that AI is acting as a kinetic enabler. He said that the government has put together an overall framework that talks about AI computing capacity.
“The Government will deploy financial resources for building foundational models, Large Language Models (LLMs), and various use cases. Similar to the semiconductor model, we will fund startups as well. We maintain a clear focus on building an academic, industry, and startup research ecosystem, which we refer to as the Innovation and Research Center. There are many adjacent areas as well, including AI chips, where we will have an intersection between the semiconductor program and the India AI mission,” he noted.
Chip shortage will go away
Chandrasekhar said that the chip shortage problem is expected to be resolved relatively quickly. He also emphasised the need for India to shift its focus towards nurturing AI talent, anticipating a growing ecosystem in the future.
“The chip shortage is a problem that will go away the fastest. There are challenges like talent; this is an ecosystem that will need top-notch talent,” added Chandrasekhar, who is a former chip designer.
According to Chandrasekhar, India needs “postdocs, PhDs, and master’s graduates to emerge.”
“What we need to do is for our academic institutions to focus on the kind of talent that this ecosystem will absorb in the coming years,” he added.
English (US) ·