Since its inception, through various initiatives and subordinate agencies, from the National Informatics Centre, Unique Identification Authority of India, Digital India mission, Software Technology Parks of India, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, National E-Governance Division, to MyGov and DigiLocker, MeitY has become the flag bearer for the e-Development of India for transition its into a developed nation and empowered society.

With the rise of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, IoT, Robotics and Big Data, MeitY today leads the way to bring socio-economic empowerment and inclusion by leveraging these powerful technologies. To take advantage of this massive technological leap in AI for economic prosperity and to emerge as a global AI power, MeitY has introduced and implemented numerous programs and initiatives in 2023. Here are some of the AI initiatives from MeitY of the year 2023.

GPAI Summit 2023: GPAI is a multistakeholder initiative established in June 2020 with 15 members to guide the responsible development and use of AI. The purpose of the initiative is to bridge the gap between theory and practice in AI by supporting cutting-edge research and applied activities aligned with human rights, democratic values and economic growth. India secured a pivotal leadership position in the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, ascending from Incoming Support Chair in 2022-23 to Lead Chair from December 2023 for a one-year term. India’s AI leadership reached new heights as she hosted the 3-day GPAI Summit between 12-14 December, 2023 where all the 29 members united to shape the responsible AI landscape.

New Delhi pulsated with the latest AI discourse as India hosted the grand GPAI Summit. Over 30 sessions brought together global AI experts which opened a vibrant forum for AI exploration for over 22,000 delegates. The impactful summit fueled the conversation towards responsible development of AI. The event also showcased advancements in AI applications across various sectors such as healthcare and agriculture. The summit culminated in the adoption of the “New Delhi Declaration” which reaffirmed the commitment of all GPAI members to responsible and inclusive AI development.

The Multistakeholder Expert Group: The Multistakeholder Expert Group - which we familiarly call the MEG - is unites four expert working groups working on the themes of responsible AI, data governance, the future of work, and innovation and commercialization. The MEG assesses the scientific, technical, and socio-economic information relevant to understanding advanced AI systems including its impacts whilst encouraging its safe, responsible and ethical deployment.

All activities undertaken by the MEG aims to promote ethical development of AI based on the values of inclusiveness, diversity, creativity, and economic growth while advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

National AI Program: The Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) introduces the National Program on AI, now called India AI to catalyze the AI innovation ecosystem in India. These initiatives focus on building the foundational pillars of a robust AI innovation ecosystem that will, in turn, be kinetic enablers of the country's AI startup and research ecosystem. To ensure participative and collaborative program design and implementation, the MeitY hosted a stakeholder interaction with the Hon'ble Minister of State for Electronics & IT, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, to brainstorm on the vision, roadmap, and way forward for India AI and its pillars. President & CEO of NeGD, Abhishek Sigh, presented the brief of the event. The vision of India AI is to make India the global AI superpower. It will develop and catalyze the AI innovation and startup ecosystem. The initiative will create large-scale social transformation leveraging the power of AI. India AI will develop a model of Responsible AI and Ethical AI for India and the world. It will also make the Indian workforce ready for the AI wave.  

India’s maiden MeitY Chair on Artificial Intelligence: Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary of MeitY, Government of India, who was featured as the chief guest in the event, announced an allocation of rupees 5 crores for the establishment of India’s maiden MeitY Chair on Artificial Intelligence at the reputed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur. This is marked as a milestone in India’s AI research advancement and innovation. The institute gained approval for a substantial number of rupees 155 crores to start a cutting-edge programme targeting perception and cognitive engineering.

Generative AI booklet: This year, MeitY released the Generative AI booklet which was developed based on a series of roundtables organized by the national AI Portal- INDIAai. Roundtables with stakeholders and ecosystem players to understand the present Generative AI landscape, ethical and legal challenges, and solutions to mitigate the harmful impact these models can have in our society. The first roundtable held on 31st Jan 2023 was a big success as it explored the current state of Generative AI and analyzed current hype around the subject. The second roundtable, was organized on 28 Feb 2023 which looked deeper into the ethical questions regarding Generative AI as well as the need for regulatory frameworks, and how to formulate policy approaches on the same. The third roundtable was held on 24 April 2023, 2pm to 3pm IST and it focused on the India opportunity in Generative AI, especially the economic impact, and how these technologies could transform various sectors and parts of the economy.