Deepak Dwivedi
As the world enters the era of Artificial Intelligence, there is a need for collective effort to establish governance and standards that uphold shared values, address risks and build trust.
Delivering the opening statement as co-chair of the AI Action Summit in Paris, PM Modi said, “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.”
At a time when geopolitical competition is shaping global power balance, with China’s DeepSeek exposing the US industry’s supremacy, PM Modi’s was a voice of sanity at the global summit.
India a key player
The fact that the Indian Prime Minister was invited to co-chair the event by host France was a testimony to India’s emergence as a key player in global AI governance, innovation, and policymaking. Apart from French President Emmanuel Macron, US Vice-President JD Vance and China’s Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing attended the two-day gathering of top political and business leaders.
India was fully involved in its preparation, as a member of the steering committee and five working groups and is also co-chairing the working group on the international governance of AI. Appreciating India’s contribution during the Paris Summit, President Macron announced that the next event would be held in India.
PM Modi underlined that 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 (SDGs) becomes easier and faster.
Open-source systems
But there was a caveat. To do this, he said, “We must pull together resources and talent. We must develop opensource systems that enhance trust and transparency. We must build quality data sets, free from biases. We must democratise technology and create people-centric applications.”
His concerns related to cyber security, disinformation and deep fakes were timely. So was his exhortation to ensure that “technology is rooted in local ecosystems for it to be effective and useful.” “Loss of jobs is AI’s most feared disruption,” he said, “But history has shown that jobs do not disappear due to technology. Its nature changes, and new types of jobs are created. We need to invest in skilling and re-skilling our people for an AI-driven future.”
India has played a pivotal role in shaping AI policies around the world. Hosting the G20 Summit in 2023, it proposed a framework for Responsible HumanCentric AI governance that formed part of the New Delhi Declaration.
The country recently announced that it will have its own generative AI model. With its rapidly growing digital economy, the world’s largest employable talent pool, and progressive government policies; India is uniquely positioned to play a role in determining the future trajectory of AI innovation globally.
