India poised for global leadership in AI, balance necessary: Vaishnaw

India is poised for a global leadership position in the area of artificial innovation just like it has proven its mettle in IT services, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday.

Speaking to PTI here during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, the minister for electronics and information technology said all necessary regulations would be in place for AI while maintaining a balance with innovation.

Talking about a united India face at Davos this time, the senior minister said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told us clearly that the Indian pavilion this time in Davos should integrate all states.

"That has sent a very good signal this time for a unified image of the country. Leaders from 5-6 different parties came together on one stage," he added.

Vaishnaw said people across the world now understand how India could stay on a sustained growth path when many other countries went deep under debt.

On misinformation and mistrust emerging as biggest threats globally as identified by the World Economic Forum and challenges posed by AI, he said we will definitely need to take necessary safeguards but the opportunities presented by AI are also huge and they must be tapped responsibly.

"The way India has proved its mettle in IT services, a similar opportunity is there in terms of AI. For that we need to prepare our youth.

"Like we started 5G labs in 100 universities for telecom and the way we equipped 250 universities with latest semiconductor design tools, the same we are starting AI-ready courses in 200 universities to prepare our youth to ensure leadership position for India in the AI space," he explained.

Asked about new regulations for AI, Vaishnaw said there must be a balance between regulation and innovation so that both can move together.