Welcome Initiative on AI

The Economic Times 7th October 2020 Save

Context: Recently, India hosted a global Artificial Intelligence(AI) summit where Prime Minister cautioned against the weaponization of AI by the non-State actors and hailed for transparency in the algorithm.

Challenges with the regulation of Artificial Intelligence:

Security Challenges: AI will fast become not just a major component of economic competitiveness but also a force multiplier in a strategic capacity.

Applications of AI: Use case of Artificial Intelligence and way the application is put to use poses challenges.

Implications on data subjects: The use of data for training and kind of algorithm used for Artificial Intelligence has implications on data subjects whose data is utilized.

In the US, Artificial Intelligence behind facial recognition has been alleged with having incorporated racial bias.

Impact of China in global efforts: While the PM has warned against weaponization of AI by the non-State actors, the future is negatively impacted by the exclusion of China as a part of these efforts.

E.g. The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence excludes China, whose labs and companies operate at the cutting edge of AI.

Way Ahead:

Robust data protection: First thing India needs to do is to put in place a robust data protection framework since data is like oxygen for Artificial Intelligence.

Foundational Principles: There have to be some principles to be incorporated into the creation of AI:

Transparency and Explainability: If someone adversely affected by AI decisions wants to challenge a decision, the AI in use must be able to explain how and why it reached the conclusion it did.
Traceability: of the data sets used for creating or training the algorithms involved is essential to ensure robustness, safety and security.
AI actors must be accountable for the proper functioning of AI to ensure accountability.