‘Global consensus must to face challenges in using AI for governance’

• Global consensus is required in formulating regulations for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in governance to face emerging challenges such as copyrights, data protection, and cyber vulnerability issues.

Highlights:

• The Hindu AI Summit 2024, held in Chennai on November 21, brought together policymakers, AI experts, and industry leaders to discuss the potential and challenges of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in governance. The event emphasized the need for a global consensus on AI regulations to address issues like copyrights, data protection, and cyber vulnerabilities, while exploring its application in diverse fields.

Key Insights from the Panel Discussion

AI-Driven Governance: Success Stories from Tamil Nadu

1. AI in Public Health

• Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Tamil Nadu, highlighted AI's role in tuberculosis detection.
• Initiative: Mobile vans with digital X-ray machines and AI tools.
• Outcome: Screening of over 56,000 people with a detection rate twice as effective as traditional methods.

Potential Areas:

• Screening refractive eye errors in children.
• Early detection of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) to reduce maternal mortality.

2. Wildlife Protection through AI:

• AI-enabled thermal cameras in Coimbatore’s Madukkarai Forest Range have successfully averted elephant deaths on railway tracks.
• Mechanism: Real-time alerts to loco pilots when elephants cross railway lines.
• Impact: Thousands of elephant lives saved.

Building AI Infrastructure and Safeguards:

• B. Ravindran, IIT Madras, stressed the need for robust digital infrastructure for AI’s effectiveness in governance.
• Not all governance problems require AI—solutions must be problem-specific.
• AI systems must incorporate India's cultural diversity, including language and regional nuances.

National Efforts:

• The Union government plans to establish an AI safety institute to address biases and ensure fair implementation.

Global and Indian AI Leadership:

• Hasit Trivedi, Firstsource, underscored India's potential to become a global AI leader alongside the U.S. and China.
• Challenges: Generative AI introduces new risks, such as copyright violations and data misuse.

Solutions:

• Ensure data localisation to protect India's digital sovereignty.
• Avoid dependency on foreign AI technologies, reducing the risk of becoming “digital slaves.”

Data as the Key to AI's Success:

• S. Thamaraiselvan, Hexaware, emphasized the significance of high-quality, localized data for AI accuracy.
• India's strong consumer base for generative AI can be leveraged to build indigenous AI solutions.
• Efforts must focus on creating technology suited to India's unique governance and cultural requirements.

Call to Action: Expanding AI Usage

• Proposed Future Applications:
  • Enhanced public service delivery.
  • Climate action and disaster management.
  • Education and skill development.
• Challenges:
  • Ensuring AI models are fair, unbiased, and culturally sensitive.
  • Creating global frameworks for ethical AI use in governance.

Prelims Takeaways

• AI Driven Governance - Concept
• Tamil Nadu Technology Hub (iTNT)