Direction: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
The success of Digital India has set a new global benchmark for leveraging digital technologies for inclusive growth, good governance and empowerment. The benefits of digital technologies have now become accessible to everyone. Rapidly-changing technology requires continuous evolution of systems, faster regulatory responses and building capacities. The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not just an incremental change, but a paradigm shift which must be harnessed for humanity’s well-being.
Data is the basic building block for any AI system. India, with over 700 million internet subscribers, 1.21 billion phone-users and 1.26 billion Aadhaar users generate massive amounts of data daily. It has the largest user-base for some of the major global internet companies; it also offers the most affordable internet services in the world, and the information technology (IT) sector ensures the availability of competent human resources.
Developments in technology also raise concerns. When large-scale computerisation was undertaken, there were concerns about mass unemployment. But eventually, computers and IT became one of the biggest job creators. In the same way, AI will replace certain existing job roles but also create several new job profiles. The world needs to manage this transition effectively so that it does not aggravate societal disparities. Through initiatives such as Future Skills Prime, India has already started work on reskilling its workforce for future job roles in IT. India’s approach towards responsible AI for social empowerment seeks to leverage AI for inclusive growth and empowerment while addressing concerns over exclusion and job redundancy. The vision to use AI in health care, agriculture, education, logistics and languages is inspired by our commitment to leverage AI for social empowerment. Data resources are going to play a vital role in AI’s development, but concerns regarding the misuse of data and breach of privacy of users must be addressed by AI systems. The government has already introduced a robust Personal Data Protection Bill in Parliament, which seeks to protect the privacy of users in the digital age while facilitating the development of a strong data economy. Any attempt to create a monopoly in the digital space by misusing the data of citizens will invite a strong response from the government. The action taken against certain mobile apps recently clearly indicates that the government is committed to protecting the data privacy of Indian citizens and India’s data sovereignty.
AI also generates other ethical and legal concerns that must be addressed. Algorithms that define the set of rules to operate AI systems must be free of any biases and prejudices. For example, face recognition systems must not display any racial or ethnic biases and news and social media systems must not be biased towards any particular political ideology. Conventional laws based on the basic premise of jurisdictions are being challenged by transnational technologies. Rogue elements situated in any part of the world can disrupt peace in other societies. We saw this in the recent Citizenship (Amendment) Act agitations and the Delhi riots. The world needs to collectively address these concerns.