Govt in process of shaping regulations on Artificial Intelligence: Official

The government was working on the preparation of the regulations on AI and it was also evaluating global inputs, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology S. Krishnan said

The government has commenced the process of preparing regulations for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to foster development, protection, and innovation in this emerging technology in India, a top government official said on Tuesday.

Additionally, the government is considering a second version of the Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) that would focus on ancillary development for the semiconductor supply ecosystem.

The government was working on the preparation of the regulations on AI and it was also evaluating global inputs, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) S. Krishnan said on the sidelines of an international conference organised by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), in Kolkata.

He also indicated that discussions are underway regarding whether a separate act is needed or if regulations can be incorporated into existing acts.

"The government is already engaged in working on AI data and regulation. There are ongoing discussions within the government about AI data and its regulation," officials said.

The government may adopt a policy similar to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act which not only provides protection but also encourages development and innovation to prevent stifling the growth of emerging technology.

Speaking about boosting component manufacturing, Krishnan said, "SPCES 2.0 aims to bring more component makers to India. The other element is to support the semiconductor industry, considering various semiconductor materials like rare gases and other necessary materials.

"This includes plants and machinery, such as capital goods for semiconductors' all aspects that need consideration for the comprehensive scope of any new government initiative," Krishnan explained.

Meanwhile, Aditya Kr Sinha, Senior Director & Centre Head, C-DAC Kolkata, stated ICSTA 2023 conference aims to serve as a pivotal platform for the scientific community and industry to deliberate on agricultural practices.

The goal is to preserve Earth's natural resources, elevate crop quality, protect the environment, and mitigate health hazards for farmers through the integration of electronics and ICT technologies.

During the conference, the secretary reviewed several innovative projects, including the Vision-guided AI-enabled Robotic Apple Harvester, IoT Solution for Poultry Farm Practice, Electronics Platform to Monitor Cattle Health and Milk Quality, AI-based Air Quality Monitoring System (AQ-AIMS) for Mine and Cement Industries, and e-Quality - Electronic Quality Assessment Solution for Agricultural Commodities for eNAM, among others.