Ethical issues in artificial intelligence (AI) are a global concern and India is committed to addressing these challenges through robust debate and responsible innovation, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, said on Wednesday.

Addressing questions on AI governance and development in Parliament, he highlighted the critical challenges posed by the emerging AI landscape, social media accountability and the need for robust legal frameworks.

Vaishnaw, who is also in-charge of Railways and Information & Broadcasting, underlined the importance of balancing the freedom of speech with the responsibility to combat fake news and ensure accurate narratives in the digital age.

“It is a major challenge that societies across the world are facing — the accountability of social media, particularly in the context of fake news and the creation of fake narratives,” Vaishnaw said, emphasising that establishing societal and legal accountability requires a significant consensus.

“These are the issues where freedom of speech comes on one hand and accountability and having a proper real news network getting created, on the other hand. These are things which need to be debated and if the house agrees and if there is a consensus in the entire society we can come up with the new law,” he added.

Vaishnaw also addressed concerns about privacy and AI governance, and said that proactive measures have been taken by the government to develop indigenous tools and technologies.

AI mission

He said that under the AI Mission, one of the key pillars is application development, focusing on innovations that align with India’s unique requirements. “To address the emerging landscape of AI, we have initiated eight projects aimed at creating tools and technologies within the country,” he said.

These eight projects include Machine Unlearning in Generative Foundation Models at IIT-Jodhpur; Development of Responsible Artificial Intelligence for Bias Mitigation in Health Care Systems at National Institute of Technology Raipur; IIT-Delhi, IIIT-Delhi, IIT-Dharwad and Telecommunication Engineering Center (TEC) Robust Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning Models; Tools for assessing fairness of AI model at IIIT-Delhi and TEC.

Meanwhile, replying to a Parliament Question on the number of people who have got enrolled in Future Skills, the Minister mentioned that 8.6 lakh candidates have already enrolled in the Future Skills Platform, developed in collaboration with industry partners, to provide training aligned with the latest industry requirements.

He further said that the government’s focus on decentralising technological facilities especially by empowering Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. “AI Data Labs are being established in cities like Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Shimla, Aurangabad, Patna, Buxar, and Muzaffarpur,” he mentioned.

AI’s potential

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering an ecosystem where startups, AI labs, 5G labs and semiconductor training facilities are made accessible by ensuring that technological development is not concentrated in a few areas but spread across the country.

Vaishnaw also emphasised the potential of AI to positively impact various sectors, including agriculture, education, healthcare, logistics, and finance, and reaffirmed India’s commitment to global leadership in responsible AI development.

“AI’s most significant applications will be in sectors that directly influence the lives of people. Agriculture, education, healthcare, logistics, and the financial sector stand to benefit immensely from AI solutions tailored to the needs of the country,” Vaishnaw added.