Artificial intelligence can bring opportunities, but protect it from interference in human intelligence: PM Modi

While Artificial intelligence (AI) can bring a lot of opportunities in social transformation, inclusion and empowerment in areas like healthcare, agriculture, education and smart mobility, among other sectors, we must also protect it from interfering in human intelligence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

Speaking at the Responsible AI for Social Empowerment (RAISE) Summit 2020, he said, "We must protect the world against the weaponisation of AI by non-State actors. While we discuss AI, let us have no doubts that human creativity and human emotions continue to be our greatest strength. They are a unique advantage over machines. Even the smartest of AI cannot solve mankind's problem without blending with our intellect and empathy."

He urged everyone to also think of how we will retain this intellectual age over machines and ensure that we take care so that human intelligence is always a few steps ahead of AI.

"We should think about how AI can help humans to increase their own capacities...AI will unlock the unique potential of each person, it will empower them to contribute more effectively to the society," he said adding that algorithm transparency is key to establishing trust in how AI is used and it remains our collective responsibility to ensure it.

A big role for AI

Modi listed the sectors in which he envisions a big role for AI - agriculture, creating next-generation urban infrastructure, addressing urban issues like reducing traffic jams, improving sewage systems and laying energy grids, making disaster management systems stronger and solving the problem of climate change.

He suggested using AI to seamlessly bridge language barriers and preserve the diversity of languages and dialects. He also suggested using AI for knowledge sharing. The PM also wished India to become a global hub for AI and hoped many more Indians would start working on this in the times to come.

Data regulation

Speaking at the event, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani said he was confident that the government would introduce a sound data regulation framework to protect national resources of 'digital capital' and ensure data privacy.

He said the time is ripe, and the tools are ready to make India a world leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and to make AI work for all Indians, it is important to understand the epoch-changing importance of AI.

"The advent of modern Artificial Intelligence is comparable only to the birth of intelligent life on our planet. In the coming decades, the total non-biological intelligence will exceed the rational intelligence of the entire human population," Ambani said.

Having said that he also said this does not mean that AI will replace the human mind. "It never can. It never will. Rather, AI and other associated technologies of the fourth Industrial Revolution will vastly expand our capacity to solve the most complex and pressing problems before India and the world."

Specifically, AI will enable India to move faster towards achieving the ambitious goals set by the PM including transforming India into a high growth economy on its path to $5 trillion, making Indian industry and small businesses Atmanirbhar and dominating new global value, and modernising Indian agriculture and multiplying incomes of farmers.

IBM to set up CoE with GeM

Similarly, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said that AI can solve deep societal problems in India, and the company is ready to work with the government in various projects.

At the same time, the company is also setting up a centre of excellence in partnership with government e-marketplace (GeM).

“Our goal is to apply the power of AI to improve usability and transparency and drive efficiency in cost saving in public procurement,” Krishna said.

As per studies done by Accenture, AI has the potential to raise India’s annual growth rate by 1.3 percentage points and add $957 billion to India’s economy by 2035.

According to official data, more than 38,700 stakeholders from academia, the research industry and government representatives from 125 countries have registered to participate in RAISE 2020, organised by the government.

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