AI Summit: PM Modi bats for democratisation of AI, making it human-centric

At the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, the Prime Minister said AI must remain human-centric and inclusive, warning that directionless use could turn a transformative force into disruption

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for the democratisation of artificial intelligence (AI), urging that the technology be made human-centric and aligned with the welfare of all, particularly for the Global South.

 

Delivering his keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, PM Modi said, "We believe AI can benefit only when it can be shared. We should make a resolve to develop AI as a global common good." 

 

PM Modi said that to ensure humans are not reduced to mere raw material for AI models, the technology must be democratised. "We must give AI an open sky and also keep the command in our hands, like GPS. GPS shows us the way, but the final call on which direction we should go is ours. The direction in which we take AI today will determine our future," he said.

 

 

AI as a transformative force

 

Describing AI as a transformative power in human history, PM Modi said its scale and speed are unprecedented. "AI is making machines intelligent, but more than that, it is increasing human capabilities manyfold. There is only one difference: this time the speed is unprecedented and the scale is also unexpected," he said. 

 

"When signals were first transmitted wirelessly, no one imagined that the entire world would one day be connected in real time. Artificial intelligence is such a transformation of human history. What we are seeing today, what we are predicting, is just the beginning of its impact," he added.

PM Modi cautions against AI's misuse

 

The Prime Minister said that AI is a transformative power, but if directionless, it may become disruptive. "How to make AI from machine-centric to human-centric, how to make it sensitive and responsive, this is the basic objective of this Global AI Impact Summit. The theme of this summit clearly reflects the perspective from which India views AI. Welfare of all, the happiness of all. This is our benchmark," he said. 

 

He further warned against deepfakes and fabricated content, saying they bring instability to open societies.

India leading, shaping AI revolution: PM

 

The Prime Minister said that India is not just a part of the AI revolution, but is leading and shaping it. "India not only builds technology but also adopts it at an unprecedented pace," he said.

 

"Some people have doubts about new technology. But the way the younger generation is embracing AI is unprecedented. There has also been tremendous enthusiasm here regarding the AI Summit exhibition," he added.

 

  Highlighting India’s demographic and technological advantages, PM Modi said the country had the world’s largest youth population and a vast technology talent pool.

 

"India has the biggest youth population, centre of biggest tech talent pool, biggest example of tech enabled eco system," he said. 

 

He also pointed to solutions showcased at the summit in areas such as agriculture, security and multilingual needs as examples of Made in India innovation. 

PM unveils 'MANAV Vision'

 

PM Modi also unveiled India’s ‘MANAV Vision’ for AI, a human-centric framework to ensure technology advances with ethics and public trust. He said 'MANAV' represents five pillars: moral and ethical systems, accountable governance, national sovereignty, accessible and inclusive technology, and valid, legitimate systems guiding India’s AI future.

  (With inputs from agencies)