New Delhi [India], The South Asia Regional Office of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) hosted a National Stakeholder Workshop on Safe, Trusted and Ethical AI here in New Delhi. of. Delhi.
The event was organized at a significant juncture after the government recently approved the IndiaAI Mission, where over Rs 10,000 crore was allocated.
The objective of the workshop is to provide a forum for critical discussions aimed at integrating safe, reliable and ethical AI considerations into national and state-level AI strategies and programs.
The workshop was attended by senior level officials from various Central Ministries, State Governments, NITI Aayog and industry partners like NASSCOM.The concept of safe and trustworthy AI, its ethical implications and the societal impact of AI technologies were widely discussed through the panel discussion.
Eminent dignitaries present at the inaugural session included – Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India; Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY; Tim Curtis, Director, UNESCO South Asia Regional Office and Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences.
Also present at the workshop were Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM; Prakash Kumar, CEO, Wadhwani Center for Government Digital Transformation; James Wright, Program Specialist, Bioethics and Ethics of Science and Technology Section, UNESCO Headquarters; Jo Hironaka, Regional Advisor for Communications and Information, UNESCO Regional Office, Bangkok; Jian Shi Teng, Program Specialist, Education, UNESCO South Asia Regional Office and Yunsong Kim, Program Specialist, UNESCO South Asia Regional Office.
In his inaugural address, Professor Ajay Kumar Sood said, "As concerns over AI ethics and its social implications rise, India aims to take a balanced approach on AI. India has launched several initiatives, including the India AI Mission, to promote development Have started.“Adoption of AI.
“Globally, UNESCO has played a commendable role in promoting the ethics of AI around the world and UNESCO’s support to Member States of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI is a great example.”
Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY, said, “When it comes to the use of the term ethics, we prefer to define it in the context of building a safe and reliable AI that will not result in harm to the user; “This will ensure a framework that fosters innovation and that limits AI-related risks.”
AI is expected to add approximately US$500 billion to India's GDP by 2025, driven by advancements in various sectors such as healthcare, financial services and telecommunications.
“AI has immense potential to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); it also poses significant ethical and practical risks if it is deployed without appropriate frameworks that ensure ethical development and use.UNESCO aims to support the Government of India in integrating ethical considerations into national and state-level AI strategies and programmes, ensuring that the deployment of AI technologies aligns with and adheres to international norms and standards outlined in the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence,” said Tim Curtis, UNESCO Representative to India. and Director of UNESCO South Asia Regional Office said in his remarks.
The event was organized at a significant juncture after the government recently approved the IndiaAI Mission, where over Rs 10,000 crore was allocated.
The objective of the workshop is to provide a forum for critical discussions aimed at integrating safe, reliable and ethical AI considerations into national and state-level AI strategies and programs.
The workshop was attended by senior level officials from various Central Ministries, State Governments, NITI Aayog and industry partners like NASSCOM.The concept of safe and trustworthy AI, its ethical implications and the societal impact of AI technologies were widely discussed through the panel discussion.
Eminent dignitaries present at the inaugural session included – Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India; Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY; Tim Curtis, Director, UNESCO South Asia Regional Office and Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences.
Also present at the workshop were Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM; Prakash Kumar, CEO, Wadhwani Center for Government Digital Transformation; James Wright, Program Specialist, Bioethics and Ethics of Science and Technology Section, UNESCO Headquarters; Jo Hironaka, Regional Advisor for Communications and Information, UNESCO Regional Office, Bangkok; Jian Shi Teng, Program Specialist, Education, UNESCO South Asia Regional Office and Yunsong Kim, Program Specialist, UNESCO South Asia Regional Office.
In his inaugural address, Professor Ajay Kumar Sood said, "As concerns over AI ethics and its social implications rise, India aims to take a balanced approach on AI. India has launched several initiatives, including the India AI Mission, to promote development Have started.“Adoption of AI.
“Globally, UNESCO has played a commendable role in promoting the ethics of AI around the world and UNESCO’s support to Member States of the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI is a great example.”
Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY, said, “When it comes to the use of the term ethics, we prefer to define it in the context of building a safe and reliable AI that will not result in harm to the user; “This will ensure a framework that fosters innovation and that limits AI-related risks.”
AI is expected to add approximately US$500 billion to India's GDP by 2025, driven by advancements in various sectors such as healthcare, financial services and telecommunications.
“AI has immense potential to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); it also poses significant ethical and practical risks if it is deployed without appropriate frameworks that ensure ethical development and use.UNESCO aims to support the Government of India in integrating ethical considerations into national and state-level AI strategies and programmes, ensuring that the deployment of AI technologies aligns with and adheres to international norms and standards outlined in the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence,” said Tim Curtis, UNESCO Representative to India. and Director of UNESCO South Asia Regional Office said in his remarks.
