The Global IndiaAI Summit 2024 commenced Wednesday, 3rd July 2024 with ministerial and industry participation from different parts of India and the world. 

The Minister of Railways, Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Ashwini Vaishnaw and Hiroshi Yoshida, Vice-Minister for Policy Coordination (International Affairs), Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan, participated in the inaugural session.

Other dignitaries in the inaugural session included Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for MeitY and Commerce and Industry; S Krishnan, MeitY Secretary; and Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY. NASSCOM President Debjani Ghosh was also part of the inaugural panel.

Additional Secretary Singh welcomed the dignitaries and delegates, emphasising the $11.2 billion IndiaAI Mission approved by the cabinet in March this year. The seven-pillar strategy focuses on AI Compute Foundation models, data sets, platforms, AI applications, scaling startups and frameworks for safe and trusted AI.

“Over the next two days, we'll address key issues relating to all these seven pillars and help with the best strategies for implementing the IndiaAI Mission,” he said. He further added, “(The meeting) will make GPAI work more closely with OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and other countries of the global south,” he added.

Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh emphasised on how AI has thrown up two parallel truths. On the one hand, it has the potential to change economies and alter societies. Still, on the other hand, it has attracted astronomical amounts of investment with no apparent light regarding results and return on investment (ROI).

“We are transforming from the peak of AI hype to a much more sobering reality of AI, where companies and countries are beginning to question the problem I will solve and how I will use it. And I'm so glad that this debate on the application of AI is taking centre stage,” she noted.

Speaking on her expectations for the Summit, she said today's deliberations will help strengthen the roadmap towards building a much more inclusive, human centric AI.

“We have to put AI in the human loop and not human in the AI loop,” she added.

Srinivasan Narayanan, Vice President of OpenAI, said the company collaborates with partners worldwide, including in India, with a shared purpose.

“India is already harnessing the power of AI and taking a long view of what might underlie an AI for our future as the world's largest democracy seeks to realize further its development dreams of being a Viksit Bharat by the time it celebrates 100 years as an independent nation in 2047,” he said.

Speaking of AI’s applications in India, he said the technology has already added speed and dynamism to India's dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

“We're reducing the cost of intelligence, enabling developers to write code and we are helping them create completely conversational and natural interfaces to computing. And I think this is helping people be a lot more productive and opening up opportunities for higher level problem solving.”

And so, this journey from focusing on tasks and jobs to bold startups and national missions is really inspiring, he added.  

MeitY Secretary S Krishnan said an AI Summit in India is unusual, but “things in AI are changing so rapidly that we need to catch up and figure out what needs to happen.” Notably, India ranked first in the Stanford Index 2024 regarding AI penetration.

Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for MeitY and Commerce and Industry, Government of India, said this summit represents a significant milestone in our journey towards harnessing the transformative power of artificial intelligence.

“India completed six months as the Council Chair of the global partnership on AI, and it marks the beginning of India's comprehensive national AI mission. As we gather here today, India stands ready at the forefront,” he said.

Yoshida said that Japan strongly supports India's emphasis on participation in the global south during its GPAI chairmanship and added that the process must extend beyond the G7 group of nations.

“We are delighted that India is one of the first countries to announce its participation,” he added, highlighting the two countries’ shared heritage and culture.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said last year was momentous in AI's journey. AI's potential is visible in the general world regarding content consumption, industry, and many social sectors.

“There was a huge enthusiasm about how AI would change how we live, conduct business, and structure our society simultaneously over the last year. There is (now) a huge realisation about the dangers, the risks, and the threats to our social institutions,” he said.

Pointing at the international legislation on AI by the United States and the European Union, the Minister said universal support, a thought process, or common basic principles are required to help in the global response to AI's potential and challenges.

“Startups will have an application development initiative where applications relevant to our social and economic problems can be developed and focused on, (which) will also emphasise skill development.”