India should draw up its own blueprint for artificial intelligence (AI) development to harness all possible benefits of AI while minimising socio-economic disruption, says a letter written to the government jointly by three leading professionals—Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu, former Vice chairman of NITI Aayog Rajiv Kumar and Sharad Sharma, Co-founder of iSPIRT Foundation.

They urged the government and various other stakeholders, including researchers, to engage in a healthy debate on helping in evolving a national consensus on how best to utilise AI. Kumar is the Chairman of Pahle India Foundation, while Vembu is Chairman of Swadeshi Shodh Sansthan.

“We are fully aware that for a developing country like India, application of AI in various fields provides an opportunity to pole-vault the traditional, linear growth paths. Deploying advanced technologies optimally and strategically can create a potent mix of resources and infrastructure that can yield more equitable and more sustainable growth. For a remarkably young country like India, with a median age of 29, AI offers a huge opportunity to raise labour productivity, build a knowledge society and further enhance our demographic dividend,” the letter said.

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“At the same time, it is also clear that AI could put millions of jobs at risk almost overnight. The dizzying pace of the ongoing digital revolution has meant that AI is inveigling itself into the economic, psychosocial, and cultural aspects of human life at an unprecedented speed. The downstream effects of adopting technologies such as AI without essential due diligence and appropriate safeguards can cause unprecedented disruption of the existing social order,” it added.

“We know that technological progress is inexorable and overall beneficial. Yet we have to manage it carefully to avoid unmanageable socio-economic disruptions at scale,” the letter said.

This follows the likes of Elon Musk planning to urge the US govt to activate a pause on development of AI.

The recent Open Letter issued by the Future of Life Institute calls upon all AI labs worldwide to pause for six months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.

They suggest that this time should be used to assess how to manage their profound impact on all aspects of human life. India should also use this time to draw up its own blueprint for AI development, the letter said.

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“We urge stakeholders like IT researchers, policymakers, academicians in other disciplines, industry leaders, and members of the civil society to join this vital debate that will help evolve a national consensus on how best to utilise this powerful technology for achieving our national goals and meeting the exploding aspirations of our young population,” the letter said.

Vembu in a tweet on the issue said, “AI were to eliminate all jobs, it means AI is able to produce all the goods and services humans need and want without human labour. What should our policy makers do? My advice is to place strict openness requirements on AI technology. Some providers will threaten to leave India but we must call their bluff. Indians can produce great AI too, subject to our laws. No monopolies, no toll gates.”

As the need for a debate on AI was emphasised, a press release says, Totto, a technology company, launched Cuddle—an AI & Human Assistant on WhatsApp for parents and expecting parents.

Cuddle combines the power of AI with human expertise to provide expecting and new parents with support throughout their pregnancy and parenting journey. Cuddle is now available on WhatsApp, offering parents a convenient and reliable way to access personalised guidance and assistance from a team of experts, the release said.

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