01-December-2023-Editorial

INDIA IS BUILDING ITS OWN ‘SOVEREIGN AI’.

India is strategically developing its own ‘sovereign AI’ to harness the economic potential of artificial intelligence. The government envisions not just competing with generative AI models but also applying AI to real-life use cases in healthcare, agriculture, governance, and language translation. This approach aligns with India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), where government-sanctioned technology forms the basis for various applications.

Sovereign AI for Economic Development:

Determination for Sovereign AI: Minister of State for Electronics, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, asserts India’s determination to have its sovereign AI, emphasizing a proactive stance beyond relying solely on existing AI ecosystems.

Focus on Real-Life Use Cases: India aims to develop AI solutions tailored to address practical challenges in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and governance, ensuring tangible economic development.

India’s Plan for Controlling AI:

National Data Governance Framework Policy: The Ministry of Electronics and IT proposed the creation of the India Datasets platform, housing non-personal and anonymized datasets from government entities. This platform aims to modernize data collection, improve governance, and foster AI and data-led research.

Unified National Data Sharing Platform: The India datasets program is envisioned as a unified platform for various stakeholders, including governments, private companies, MSMEs, academia, and researchers. The platform may also monetize non-personal data, contributing to the growth of the AI ecosystem.

Regulating AI in India:

Hybrid Regulatory Approach: Minister Chandrasekhar outlines India’s regulatory approach as a hybrid of Europe’s citizen rights focus and the US market-oriented regulation. This approach aims to balance citizen protection and market dynamics.

Potential Directive for Big Tech Companies: India is considering a directive, part of the draft Digital India Bill, to mandate major tech companies to share anonymized personal data with a government-backed database, enhancing the India datasets platform.

Hybrid Regulatory Landscape: India’s evolving AI laws are expected to reflect a hybrid regulatory landscape, combining elements of citizen rights protection and market-oriented regulations to leverage AI’s transformative potential.

Conclusion:

India’s pursuit of sovereign AI aligns with its vision for economic development and technological self-reliance. By focusing on real-life use cases, creating a unified data-sharing platform, and adopting a hybrid regulatory approach, India aims to harness the benefits of AI for the nation’s progress. The evolving regulatory framework emphasizes balancing innovation, citizen rights, and market dynamics in the AI landscape.