Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suggested that the global partnership for AI (Artificial Intelligence) should be more inclusive of the global south, and its priority concerns and needs.
Global Partnership For AI
Espousing the interests of the global south in his opening and concluding remarks at the AI Action summit, at the Grand Palais, one of the most iconic Parisian monuments in Paris, Modi said, “We must also make the “Global Partnership for AI” truly global in nature.”
The Prime Minister who chaired the summit with French President Emmanuel Macron, hailed the decision to set up the ‘AI Foundation’ and the ‘Council for Sustainable AI’.
India Offers To Host Next AI Action Summit
While assuring India’s full support to France for AI related initiatives, the Prime Minister said that India would be happy to host the next summit to build on the momentum of this Action Summit.
Modi said that India is developing AI applications for public good and is ready to share its experience and expertise to ensure that the AI future is for Good, and for All.
Need For Collective Global Efforts
While drawing attention to “a deep inter-dependence across borders,” the Prime Minister emphasized the need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards, that uphold shared values, address risks, and build trust.
“But, Governance is not just about managing risks and rivalries. It is also about promoting innovation, and deploying it for the global good,” he said.
Governance Must Ensure Access To All
The Prime Minister said that governance is also about ensuring access to all, especially in the Global South.
“It is where the capacities are most lacking – be it compute power, talent, data, or the financial resources,” the PM said while addressing a distinguished gathering of world leaders, policy makers, diplomats, global tech experts, artists, representatives from academia, non government organizations and members of civil society.
The Global South
The Global South refers to various countries around the world that are “less developed” or “underdeveloped.”
Many of these countries – although by no means all – are in the Southern Hemisphere, largely in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
It is well known that countries of the global south are poorer, have higher levels of income inequality and suffer lower life expectancy and harsher living conditions compared to richer nations that are located mostly in North America and Europe, with some additions in Oceania and elsewhere.
The term Global South appears to have been first used in 1969 by political activist Carl Oglesby.
India Is A Proponent Of The Global South
Notably, India hosted the first Voice of Global South Summit in January 2023. This was followed by the second and third editions in November 2023 and August 2024.
All these summits were held in virtual format.
AI Developing At An Unprecedented Scale
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Modi said that AI is developing at an unprecedented scale and speed and is being adopted and deployed even faster.
PM Modi said, “AI is already re-shaping our polity, our economy, our security and even our society. AI is writing the code for humanity in this century. But, it is very different from other technology milestones in human history.”
AI Can Transform Millions Of Lives
Talking of the huge potential of AI, he said, “AI can help transform millions of lives by improving health, education, agriculture and so much more. It can help create a world in which the journey to Sustainable Development Goals becomes easier and faster.”
Modi stressed the need to pool together resources and talent.
Need For Developing Open-Source Systems
“We must develop open-source systems that enhance trust and transparency. We must build quality data sets, free from biases. We must democratise technology and create people-centric applications. We must address concerns related to cyber security, disinformation, and deep fakes. And, we must also ensure that technology is rooted in local ecosystems for it to be effective and useful,” he said.
Relevance Of Work And Skills
Allaying fears about AI’s impact on jobs, Modi said, “Loss of jobs is AI’s most feared disruption. But, history has shown that work does not disappear due to technology. Its nature changes and new types of jobs are created.”
A firm believer in skill development, he said, “We need to invest in skilling and re-skilling our people for an AI-driven future.”
He said, “There is no doubt that the high energy intensity of AI needs to be looked into.”
India’s Collaboration With France
Modi said that India and France have worked together for years through initiatives like the International Solar Alliance to harness the power of the sun.
He said that the AI partnership with France is therefore a natural progression from sustainability to innovation to shape a smarter and responsible future.
India’s Progress In The Digital Realm
The Prime Minister used the high profile event to highlight India’s progress in the digital realm.
“India has successfully built a Digital Public Infrastructure for over 1.4 billion people at a very low cost. It is built around an open and accessible network. It has regulations, and a wide range of applications to modernize our economy, reform governance and transform the lives of our people.”
India’s National AI Mission
“We have unlocked the power of data through our Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture. And, we have made digital commerce democratic and accessible to all. This vision is the foundation of India’s National AI Mission,” he said.
He said that during its G20 Presidency, India built a consensus on Harnessing AI Responsibly, for Good, and for All.
India Leads In AI Adoption
Today, India leads in AI adoption, and techno-legal solutions on data privacy.
“We have one of the world’s largest AI talent pools. India is building its own Large Language Model considering our diversity. We also have a unique public-private partnership model for pooling resources like compute power. It is made available to our start-ups and researchers at an affordable cost,” he added.
Week-Long Summit
The summit began with the Science Days on February 6-7 and was followed by the cultural weekend on February 8-9.
It culminated in a high-level segment which was attended by global leaders, policy makers and industry experts.
The summit featured discussions on critical themes including greater access to AI infrastructure to ensure inclusion, the responsible use of AI, AI for public interest, making AI more diverse and sustainable, and ensuring safe and trusted governance of AI.
Prominent among those attending the AI Action summit are U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, China’s Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, besides top executives such as Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and Open AI CEO, Samuel Harris Altman.
