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India to launch AI missions for healthcare, agriculture and education: PM Modi at GPAI Summit 2023

The Prime Minister, while inaugurating the 'Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence Summit' in New Delhi, said that India is committed to responsible and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

• By Pooja Chaturvedi Sah
• New Delhi
• Dec 13, 2023

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 December announced that the government will soon launch AI missions which will provide better services to startups and innovators in India and also promote AI applications in the sectors of agriculture, healthcare and education. 

The Prime Minister, while inaugurating the 'Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence Summit' at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, said that India is committed to responsible and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“The government has drafted its policies and programs with the spirit of AI for All. We strive to take maximum advantage of AI’s capabilities for social development and inclusive growth, while also committing to its responsible and ethical usage,” said the PM. He also informed that the government has started a National Program on Artificial Intelligence and plans to take AI-related skills to Tier 2 and 3 cities through educational training institutes.

Speaking about India’s national AI portal and initiatives, the PM informed that the common platform will soon be open for every research lab, industry and startup to make it more inclusive. “AI is becoming the biggest basis for sculpting the new future and it not only ensures economic development but also ensures equality and social justice. The more inclusive, the development journey of AI, the more inclusive will be the results", said the PM. 

Underlining the need for AI development guided by human and democratic values, PM Modi stated: “The direction of AI development will totally depend on human and democratic values. It is up to us to keep a place for emotions along with efficiency, ethics along with effectiveness”.  

While stressing on the need to make AI more transparent and bias-free, the Prime Minister also underlining the negative aspects of AI, emphasizing on the dual nature of the technology as both a tool for development, and also for potential destruction. 

He also highlighted the challenges such as deepfake, cyber security, data theft and terrorist organizations getting their hands on AI tools and stressed on the need for the appropriate countermeasures. 

While mentioning India’s proposal to create a framework for 'Responsible Human-Centric AI governance' during its G20 Presidency, PM Modi reiterated the commitment of all member countries towards ‘AI Principles’, and called for creating collaborations and an ethical framework to test and develop high-risk or frontier AI tools. 

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashvini Vaishnav, and the Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrashekhar were also present at the occasion. 

The Minister of Outgoing Chair of GPAI and Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan Hiroshi Yoshida were also present during the inauguration. 

The GPAI consists of 29 countries including the US, the UK, the EU, Germany, Israel, Singapore, Australia, Belgium, and France. The aim of the global alliance is to guide the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence.