Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics & IT, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, participated in a fireside chat with students of Amity Business School, held during the 6^th Annual Technology Conference – Infinity 2023.

During this session with the university students, the Minister shared his personal journey as a student and as a technologist, his insights on the regulation of emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The Minister reflected on the remarkable transformation of India’s narrative over the past nine years, stating, “I’ve visited over 65 college campuses across the country in the last two years, and I truly believe that you, as younger Indians, are the luckiest generation in the history of independent India. Over the past nine years, the narrative of India has shifted from being a failing nation with great potential to one where a great nation is being led by young people who have the ability, confidence, and capability to shape the future in a unique and unprecedented way. I was a student once too, and I understand the challenges faced by previous generations. However, you are a generation with unprecedented opportunities.”

Minister Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar addressed questions regarding the Government’s approach to ideation and policy formulation. In response to questions by students, the Minister said, “One of the reasons why we make a better Government than anyone in the past is because we believe in creating maximum impact through maximum citizen participation. This is our approach towards ideation and policy making. Every rule & legislation should be for the people, by the people and of the people — this is the true essence of democracy.”

Discussions were also held around the ongoing consultation process within the Ministry of Electronics and IT for regulating AI. When asked about the importance of regulating AI, Minister Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “The next wave of technology is going to be so deeply disruptive, that we will be powered by AI. Deep fakes are only the tip of the iceberg. AI, like any technology, can be a force for good, but it also has the potential for misuse by criminals. That’s why the DIA includes frameworks for all emerging technologies, including AI, which set out clear principles. Technology can be used in various ways, but it must not harm individuals or be used for criminal purposes. When it comes to regulating AI, our approach is to focus on regulating use cases, creating guardrails to protect citizens from any adverse use of a platform. We will regulate AI through the prism of user harm, creating safety and trust for the user.”

The Minister further emphasized the government’s commitment to combatting online child sexual exploitation, stating, “Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) is an unacceptable aspect of the internet. We are taking measures to crack down on it. We have recently issued notices to prominent platforms such as YouTube, Telegram, and Twitter, urging them to proactively clean their platforms of such explicit content, which makes children vulnerable to exploitation. While the internet is a powerful force for good, it is also subject to misuse by bad actors.”

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DK/DK