World must pull together resources and talent for AI: PM Modi in Paris

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Artificial Intelligence Summit in Paris on Tuesday and said that AI can help transform millions of lives by improving health, agriculture, education etc. Stating that AI can help create a world in which the journey to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) becomes “easier and faster” the Prime Minister called on the world to pull together resources and talent for AI.

In his address at the AI Action Summit, PM Modi said, “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 pull 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 democratize technology and create people-centric applications. We must address concerns related to cyber security, disinformation and deepfakes. 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,” PM Modi said.

Expressing gratitude to French President Emmanuel Macron for hosting the AI Action Summit and inviting him to co-chair the summit. He said that AI is developing at an “unprecedented scale and speed” and being adapted and developed even faster.

PM Modi said, “I am grateful to my friend President Macron for hosting this summit and for inviting me to co-chair it. AI is already reshaping 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 adapted and deployed even faster. There is also a deep interdependence across borders.”

PM Modi said that the world must think deeply and discuss openly about innovation and governance and emphasised that governance is also about ensuring access to all, particularly in the Global South.

Stressing the need for collective global efforts to establish governance, he said, “There is a need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards that upload our shared values, address risks, and build trust. But governance is not just about managing rifts 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 capabilities are most lacking be it compute, power, talent, or data for the financial resources.”