5 min readFeb 13, 2025 07:36 AM IST
First published on: Feb 13, 2025 at 07:36 AM IST
Let me begin with a simple experiment.
If you upload your medical report to an AI app, it can explain in simple language, free of any jargon, what it means for your health. But, if you ask the same app to draw an image of someone writing with their left hand, the app will most likely draw someone writing with their right hand. Because that is what the training data is dominated by.
It shows that while the positive potential of AI is absolutely amazing, there are many biases that we need to think carefully about. That is why I am grateful to my friend, President (Emmanuel) Macron, for hosting this summit. And for inviting me to co-chair it.
AI is already re-shaping our polity, our economy, our security and even our society. AI is writing the code for humanity in this century. But, it is very different from other technology milestones in human history.
AI is developing at an unprecedented scale and speed. And being adopted and deployed even faster. There is also a deep inter-dependence across borders. Therefore, there is a need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards, that uphold our shared values, address risks, and build trust.
But, governance is not just about managing risks and rivalries. It is also about promoting innovation, and deploying it for the global good. So, we must think deeply and discuss openly about innovation and governance.
Governance is also about ensuring access to all, especially in the Global South. It is where the capacities are most lacking — be it in computing power, data, or the financial resources.
AI can help transform millions of lives by improving health, education, agriculture and so much more. It can help create a world in which the journey to sustainable development goals becomes easier and faster.
To do this, we must pool together resources and talent. We must develop open-source systems that enhance trust and transparency. We must build quality data sets free from biases. We must democratise technology and create people-centric applications. We must address concerns related to cyber security, disinformation, and deep fakes. And, we must also ensure that technology is rooted in local ecosystems for it to be effective and useful.
Loss of jobs is AI’s most feared disruption. But history has shown that work does not disappear due to technology. Its nature changes and new types of jobs are created. We need to invest in skilling and re-skilling our people for an AI-driven future.
There is no doubt that the high-energy intensity of AI needs to be looked into. This will require green power to fuel its future.
India and France have worked together for years through initiatives like the International Solar Alliance to harness the power of the sun. As we advance our partnership to AI, it is a natural progression from sustainability to innovation to shape a smarter and responsible future.
At the same time, Sustainable AI does not only mean using clean energy. AI models must also be efficient and sustainable in size, data needs and resource requirements. After all, the human brain manages to compose poetry and design spaceships using less power than most lightbulbs.
India has successfully built a Digital Public Infrastructure for over 1.4 billion people at a very low cost. It is built around an open and accessible network. It has regulations, and a wide range of applications to modernise our economy, reform governance and transform the lives of our people.
We have unlocked the power of data through our data empowerment and protection architecture. And, we have made digital commerce democratic and accessible to all. This vision is the foundation of India’s national AI Mission.
That is why during our G20 presidency, we built a consensus on harnessing AI responsibly, for good, and for all. Today, India leads in AI adoption, and techno-legal solutions on data privacy.
We are developing AI applications for public good. We have one of the world’s largest AI talent pools. India is building its own Large Language Model considering our diversity. We also have a unique public-private partnership model for pooling resources like compute power. It is made available to our start-ups and researchers at an affordable cost. And, India is ready to share its experience and expertise to ensure that the AI future is for good, and for all.
We are at the dawn of the AI age that will shape the course of humanity. Some people worry about machines becoming superior in intelligence to humans. But, no one holds the key to our collective future and shared destiny other than us humans.
That sense of responsibility must guide us.
The writer is the Prime Minister of India. This is an edited excerpt of the speech given by the PM at the Paris AI Summit on February 11
PM Modi: We must build quality data sets free from biases. We must democratise technology and create people-centric applications. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar) 
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