ET Now GBS 2024: AI will cause disruption and transformation, says Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to replacement and transformation of some present-day job roles but will also allow companies to do more with less, said minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

"The doomsday scenario we painted that AI would remove certain layers or jobs and therefore there will be disruption in the workforce... I do not subscribe to that," he said here Friday. "There is going to be disruption and transformation - job roles that will require new skills and talent in the workforce. There will be some changes in the workforce as it is today."

Technologies such as AI and digital public infrastructure have become the fundamental way of transforming government and governance and ensuring that state benefits reach last-mile beneficiaries, he said.


Despite the obvious benefits that will accrue to companies and users due to technologies such as AI, the government will not let its guard down on perils such as deepfakes that arise from them, Chandrasekhar said.

The responsibility for containing these harms and criminalities and those mentioned in the Information Technology (IT) Rules lies squarely with the platforms that link producers and consumers of misinformation and child sexual abuse material, among other illegal images, videos or audio.

Since 2021, the jurisprudence and framework of regulations have evolved in a way that the platforms or intermediaries are accountable for the safety and trust of their users.

"Recently we issued an advisory to them as well. The consequences of not following the rules and advisory are now going to be criminal. The trust and safety of users are very important deliverables for the government," he said at the event.

Chandrasekhar refused to comment directly on the Reserve Bank of India's actions against Paytm. He said the actions of the regulator were indicative of the need to follow rules, irrespective of whether it's a startup or a big company.

"Whether you are a fintech or a startup or an iconic founder... whoever you are, the laws of the land apply," he said. "The regulators are the ones that oversee your sector and if they decide something is wrong, that is the last word on it. Sectoral regulators have absolute authority."

Responding to a question on the proposed fact-check units and their scope, Chandrasekhar said they were never meant to be mandatory and that the idea behind establishing them was only to "help" intermediaries determine right from wrong and label them as such.