The Government of India is currently conducting a National Stakeholder Workshop on Safe, Trusted and Ethical AI at the Taj Palace, New Delhi. The workshop is being organised to offer a collective understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence. The Indian Government hopes to establish a foundation for informed policy development that promotes equitable and sustainable AI adoption nationwide.
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“In response to these ethical challenges, UNESCO is advocating for inclusive, transparent, and accountable Al governance. Prioritising ethics in Al development can pave the way for a future where Al serves the common good while upholding fairness, transparency, and human dignity,” said Tim Curtis, Director, UNESCO South Asia Regional Office.
Objectives of the National Stakeholder Workshop on Safe, Trusted and Ethical AI
The workshop will provide a platform for critical discussions, ensuring that the deployment of AI tech aligns with public welfare and adheres to international norms and standards. Some of its main objectives are as follows:
- Convene a multi-sectoral stakeholder group and discuss the nation’s current Al landscape
- Raise awareness about safe, trust and ethical implications and societal impacts of Al technologies
- Introduce international frameworks, guidelines, and best practices for AI
Key Sessions Being Held
The National Stakeholder Workshop on Safe, Trusted and Ethical AI has brought together stakeholders from the Central and State Governments as well as industry partners to deliberate on the safe, trusted and ethical implications and societal impacts of AI technology.
India’s value in AI is in the applications that are trying to benefit from the advantages of this technology while being aware of the risks that AI proposes. The global discourse on AI focuses not only on safety but also on innovation and inclusion which is also India’s strategy. When we look at regulating Al, which is the buzz across the world, we look at it from the point of view of how do we regulate in order to ensure that we don’t stifle innovation. Our value in it is trying to benefit from the advantages that Al applications build in while at the same time being aware of the risks that it proposes,” said Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY, Government of India.
Intriguing panel discussions are underway at the National Stakeholder Workshop on Safe, Trusted and Ethical AI on the Government of India’s AI strategies and policies, UNESCO’s role in Safe, Trusted and Ethical AI and perspectives of the private sector and the civil society in India.
Some of the sessions to be held are as follows:
- Fundamentals of Al: Building blocks and pitfalls.
- Why safe, trusted and ethical Al is important.
India harnessing safe, trusted and ethical implementation of AI. - Looking ahead: Al readiness assessment in India.
“The global discourse on Al focuses not only on safety but also on innovation and inclusion which is also India’s strategy, reflected in the ministerial declaration statement that came from the GPAI Summit,” added Singh.
India’s AI Mission
India’s AI mission will focus on the following seven pillars:
- Compute.
- Foundational models.
- Applications.
- Datasets.
- Skill penetration.
- Startup promotion.
- Strategy formulation for safe and trusted AI.
Singh reiterated, “When it comes to ethics in AI, we define it as building a safe and trusted AI that avoids user harm, promotes innovation, and mitigates related risks.”
