India to take over Chair of Global Partnership on AI for 2022-23

India will take over the chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence for 2022-23 at a meeting of the body in Tokyo on November 21, the Ministry of Electronics and IT said on Sunday.

In the election to the Council Chair, India had received more than a two-thirds majority of first-preference votes, while Canada and the United States of America ranked in the next two best places in the tally - so they were elected to the two additional Government seats on the Steering Committee, the Ministry said in a statement.

Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar will represent India at the handover ceremony in Tokyo.

"Close on the heels of assuming the presidency of G20, a league of the world's largest economies, India will take over the chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), an international initiative to support responsible and human-centric development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)," the statement said.

GPAI is a congregation of 25 member countries, including the US, the UK, the EU, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore.

India joined the group as a founding member in 2020.

"Rajeev Chandrasekhar will represent India at the GPAI meeting to be held in Tokyo on November 21, 2022, for the symbolic takeover from France, which is the outgoing Council Chair," the statement said.

For the 2022-2023 Steering Committee, the five Government seats will therefore be held by Japan (as Lead Council Chair and Co-Chair of the Steering Committee), France (Outgoing Council Chair), India (Incoming Council Chair), Canada and the United States.

"India occupying the chair also signifies how the world today perceives India as a trusted technology partner and one that has always advocated for the ethical use of technology for transforming citizens' lives," the statement said.

AI is expected to add $967 billion to the Indian economy by 2035 and $450–500 billion to India's GDP by 2025, accounting for 10 per cent of the country's $5 trillion GDP target.

GPAI is a first-of-its-type initiative for evolving a better understanding of challenges and opportunities around AI using the experience and diversity of participating countries.

The alliance will look to bridge the gap between theory and practice by supporting advanced research and applied activities on AI-related priorities.

It works in collaboration with partners and international organisations, leading experts from industry, civil society, Governments, and academia to collaborate and promote the responsible evolution of AI and guide the responsible development and use of AI, grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation, and economic growth, the statement said.

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