The Global IndiaAI Summit 2024 commenced Wednesday, 3rd July 2024 featuring participation from ministerial and industry leaders from India and abroad. The Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, highlighted the transformative potential and emerging risks of Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the summit. He emphasized that last year was pivotal in demonstrating AI's capabilities across various sectors, from content consumption to industrial applications and social sectors.

“There was a huge enthusiasm about how AI would change the way we live, the way we conduct business, and the way our society is structured simultaneously over the last year,”

He acknowledged the widespread enthusiasm for AI's potential to revolutionize daily life, business practices, and societal structures. However, he also underscored the growing awareness of the dangers associated with AI, such as misinformation and fake news, which have been notably impactful.

Minister Vaishnaw's speech focused on the global response to AI risks. He noted, “The societies are responding in very organized, thought-through ways in the recent summit of the G7 Hiroshima AI process, which was announced May 2023. A significant part of the Hiroshima process was that all the countries had to tackle this threat together as we looked at the potential of AI.”

Similarly, he mentioned the EU AI Act and the US executive order on AI, both aimed at creating secure environments for AI integration.

“Last year has been momentous in the journey of AI, with the potential of AI visible both in the general world in terms of consumption of the content world, the industrial world, and many of the social sectors,” said the minister. He further added, “AI can be a big tool for solving many problems simultaneously. We need to contain the risks, which are AI bricks. We also believe the solution must come through a global thought process. It cannot be done in isolation by any country. ” 

He stated India's approach involves leveraging AI to address economic and social challenges while containing associated risks. He announced the establishment of a public AI platform providing computing power, high-quality datasets, and a common technical and legal framework. This initiative aims to democratize technology, ensuring accessibility for startups, entrepreneurs, and researchers.

The minister stated, "The approach that the Prime Minister has always adopted is that technology should be accessible to everybody. So, the digital public infrastructure is a classic case where no single payment provider or service provider has a monopoly over the service. The government invests in the platform, and everybody becomes a part of that same approach we will adopt in AI."

Additionally, India will invest in an AI computing infrastructure of over 10,000 GPUs, create an AI Innovation Center, and emphasise skill development through partnerships with universities and industry. Vaishnaw also highlighted India's AI mission, which was approved by the cabinet and focused on democratizing AI technology.

In his closing remarks, the minister expressed gratitude to international delegates present at the summit and emphasised the importance of a collaborative global effort to harness AI's potential while mitigating its risks. Furthermore, he conveyed his commitment to ensuring that AI benefits humanity and aligns with democratic and social institutions.