Paris, Feb 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for collaborative global efforts to establish a comprehensive governance framework for Artificial Intelligence (AI) that ensures trust, transparency, and fairness, emphasizing the need for an open-source approach free from biases.
Co-chairing the prestigious AI Action Summit in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Modi highlighted how AI is shaping the political, economic, security, and social landscape, fundamentally rewriting the future of humanity in this century. In a major diplomatic move, he offered to host the next AI Action Summit in India, underscoring the country’s commitment to AI-driven innovation for global good.
Supporting the initiatives launched at the first summit hosted by France, including the establishment of the AI Foundation and the Council for Sustainable AI, Modi emphasized the urgent need for a globally accepted governance model that aligns with shared values and mitigates risks while fostering innovation.
“Governance of AI should not only focus on risk management and competition but also promote innovation that benefits humanity,” Modi asserted. He stressed that technology must be democratized, ensuring people-centric applications that address concerns related to cybersecurity, disinformation, and deepfakes.
To achieve this, he proposed the development of high-quality, unbiased datasets, stating that an open-source AI ecosystem would be instrumental in fostering transparency and public trust. He also underscored the importance of embedding AI within local ecosystems to maximize its effectiveness.
Modi illustrated the incredible capabilities and inherent biases of AI with a simple example:
“An AI app can easily interpret complex medical prescriptions into simple language for patients. However, if you ask the same app to draw an image of someone writing with their left hand, it may still generate an image of a right-handed writer—because the training data is predominantly biased towards right-handed individuals.”
This, he said, highlights the need for inclusive AI development that ensures fair representation and minimizes inherent biases.
A strong advocate for AI accessibility, Modi urged global leaders to address the digital divide, particularly in the Global South, where resources, computing power, skilled talent, and financial capabilities remain limited. He reiterated that AI must be an inclusive tool, ensuring that developing nations benefit equally from advancements.
“AI has the power to revolutionize sectors like health, education, and agriculture, transforming millions of lives,” Modi said, stressing the importance of pooled resources and shared expertise to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Acknowledging growing concerns over AI-induced job displacement, Modi reassured that history has repeatedly shown that technological advancements do not eliminate work but transform it, creating new job opportunities.
“AI is developing at an unprecedented scale and being adopted even faster. To harness its potential, we must invest in skill development and reskilling to prepare our workforce for an AI-driven future,” he emphasized.
India, he noted, has emerged as a global leader in AI adoption and techno-legal frameworks on data privacy. The country is actively developing AI applications for public welfare and is eager to share its expertise with the global community to ensure that AI serves the collective good of humanity.
In his closing remarks, Modi expressed optimism about the unity of vision and purpose demonstrated during the summit, calling for an inclusive AI governance model that prioritizes the needs and concerns of the Global South.
Highlighting the truly global nature of AI partnerships, he reinforced India’s readiness to host the next AI Action Summit, stating:
“To build on the momentum of this Summit, India would be honored to host the next edition, ensuring that the Global Partnership for AI becomes more inclusive and representative of the world’s diverse challenges and opportunities.”
With this proposal, India has positioned itself at the forefront of global AI governance, setting the stage for a future where technology serves as an equalizer rather than a divider.