CAG bats for responsible Artificial intelligence use, flags privacy concerns

Artificial intelligence (AI) has potential to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy in 2030, comptroller and auditor general (CAG) Girish Chandra Murmu said on Monday, as he pushed for greater use of such emerging technologies in governance and audit.

However, AI also raises concerns of transparency and fairness, he said. “These issues (concerns) include the impact of AI on privacy, bias and discrimination in AI systems, and inadequate understanding of AI algorithms by the general public,” Murmu said, pitching for a “democratisation” of such emerging technologies in a responsible manner.

“These problems are complex and interconnected, highlighting the need for responsible AI practices, where the fairness of solutions is ensured,” he added.


The CAG was addressing senior officers of the supreme audit institutions of various G20 nations and others here.

The CAG also batted for balancing the need for short-term growth with long-term sustainability of the Blue Economy, which is critical to the preservation of global marine stocks and ecological balance.

India has assumed the G20 presidency and the CAG is the current chair of the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI) of these nations.

He said AI has the potential to lead socio-economic growth and it can be used to benefit citizens and the country through targeted and timely intervention.

Healthcare, retail, finance, agriculture, food, water resources, environment and pollution, education, special needs, transportation, energy, public safety, disaster management, judiciary are a few of the areas that AI has the potential to solve.

“The cornerstone of Responsible AI is ethics. Ethics focussed on safety and reliability, inclusivity and non-discrimination, equality, privacy and security, protection and reinforcement of positive human values,” he added.

As for the Blue Economy, Murmu said top audit institutions have an opportunity to ensure that the journey of exploring the oceanic resources does not follow the same path as exploitation of land. This can be realised through the careful evaluation of management and regulation of businesses, with an emphasis on promoting sustainable practices.

He stressed that the unplanned and unregulated development in the coastal areas needed to be highlighted in the audit. At the same time, the government has to be shown with evidence the importance of ensuring that the livelihoods of the people living in these areas does not get affected adversely, he added.

Supreme audit institutions from India, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, South Korea, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE are taking part in the three-day event that started on Monday.