“India, in its capacity as the chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), has taken a leadership stand on AI. We have maintained that AI should be guided by principles of safety & trust for users, and accountability for platforms” said Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics & IT, during day 2 of “AI Safety Summit 2023” held at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire in United Kingdom.

The Minister extended invitations to all nations for the upcoming GPAI and India AI summits scheduled for December 2023. This was at the backdrop of the Minister’ participation in two sessions named “Ministerial round table: Creating actions and next steps for future collaboration.” Here, he discussed the importance of “Building a shared understanding of the risks of Frontier AI and future collaboration” and “Sharing global opportunities for AI,” where he highlighted the potential of AI and technology to enhance public services.

“The vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is clear — we must use AI to transform people’s lives and ensure safety, trust and accountability to mitigate user harm. There is a growing consensus among all like-minded countries who share the principle of using AI for the greater good, progress, and the prosperity of citizens worldwide,” Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar added.

On November 1, all nations who participated in the summit agreed to the “The Bletchley Declaration”. The document underscores the importance of aligning AI systems with human intentions and encourages a more in-depth exploration of the full potential of AI.

Minister Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar engaged in bilateral meetings with counterparts from the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, and Ireland.

In his discussions with Viscount Camrose, Minister of State for AI and Intellectual Property, UK, they delved into the potential risks associated with User Harm stemming from AI and pledged to collaborate for tangible progress in this sector in the coming months.

The Minister’s meeting with Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science, Australia, revolved around enhancing ongoing collaborations in building talent pools and in the domains of emerging and critical technologies, the semiconductor ecosystem, and cybersecurity.

During this meeting, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar highlighted the significant progress India has made in harnessing technology and how the Indian diaspora has added value and contributed to the talent pool in Australia. He also emphasized that following the G20 summit, the world is increasingly recognizing the immense tech potential that India and the Global South possesses.

He also met Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science, Australia and both Ministers discussed strengthening the ongoing collaboration on areas of emerging and critical technologies, semiconductor ecosystem and cybersecurity.

The Minister's meeting with his Dutch counterpart, Alexandra van Huffelen, the State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Digitalization of the Netherlands, involved discussions on how to avoid being in a position of catching up in a rapidly innovating world.

“We must come to a consensus on the do’s and don’ts of AI among democratic nations to ensure that we are not left playing catch-up in a rapidly evolving world of innovation. We need to establish an institutional framework between countries that will define the guardrails for platforms, further enhancing accountability,” Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar said during the meeting.

During a previous meeting on Day 1 of the Summit with Ireland’s Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital, and Company Regulation, Mr. Dara Calleary, both Ministers explored the increasing opportunities in the field of AI.

“I am confident that all like-minded nations will play a key role in harnessing AI for the global good. AI has presented opportunities for our future. Today, with over 800 million Indians on the internet, we have witnessed the very real harms caused by deep fakes and disinformation. This conversation is no longer purely academic. We have also witnessed the internet’s weaponization in the past, making countries come together and discuss the do’s and don’ts of AI to establish guardrails for the future,” MoS Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar further added.

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DK/DK/SMP