Regulations should foster innovations, not wipe them out: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday emphasised the need for regulations that foster technology innovation in a responsible manner, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), rather than stifling it.

The government is determined to not only adopt AI technologies but also ensure their responsible application across various sectors, she said while releasing the report 'AI for Viksit Bharat: The Opportunity for Accelerated Economic Growth'.

"We do not want regulation that literally wipe out technology itself. We want regulations because we want a responsible application," she said after releasing the report prepared by Niti Aayog here.

"AI is a rapidly progressing, real time, dynamic thing, and therefore all of us will have to be conscious that we don't sit back on the ethic as AI can also have its challenges," she said.

The challenge not just in jobs, but also in a way in which these can be misused which can have repercussions for the society, she added.

According to the report, projections show that while AI will create many new roles, it will also displace many existing jobs, particularly in clerical, routine, and low-skill segments.

For India, the challenge would be twofold--preparing a workforce with advanced digital and AI skills to capture new opportunities, while simultaneously ensuring that those displaced are gainfully employed through reskilling, redeployment, or absorption into other growth sectors of the economy.

Finally, productivity gains and innovation must match market creation to translate into growth, it said, adding, India would need to simultaneously deepen domestic demand and secure stronger participation in global value chains.

This will require alignment of industrial and trade policies, particularly as global rulebooks evolve quickly.

For instance, it said, the European Union's AI Act will phase in obligations for general-purpose and high-risk AI systems, and new climate-related trade measures such as carbon border adjustments are set to shape market access conditions.