Design and develop in India and deliver to the world: PM Modi at India AI Impact Summit

India has diversity, demography and democracy as well as a robust, resilient and secure ecosystem that make it an ideal choice to build AI solutions, prime minister Narendra Modi said while delivering his inaugural address at the India AI Impact Summit on Thursday. He issued a clarion call to industry to design and develop in India and deliver to the world while underscoring the availability of talent and stable policy in the country to spur innovation.

"From semiconductor and chip making to quantum computing, India is building a resilient ecosystem," he said. "Secure data centers, a strong IT backbone and dynamic startup ecosystem make India the natural hub for the buildout of affordable, scalable and secure AI solutions. India has diversity, demography and democracy. The AI models that succeed in India can be deployed globally."

He spoke of the need to democratise artificial intelligence and make it a tool for inclusion and empowerment so that humans don't become just a data point or raw material. He unveiled his 'MANAV Vision' for artificial intelligence. The abbreviation stands for Moral and ethical systems, Accountable governance, National sovereignty, Accessible and inclusive, Valid and legitimate.


Modi highlighted that India represents one sixth of humanity, has the world's largest young population and a hub of the largest tech talent pool. He said that India not only builds technology but also adopts it at an unprecedented pace. He said that we are entering an era where humans and intelligent systems co-create, co-work and co-evolve. Thus, AI will make our work smarter, more efficient and more impactful.

"AI is a transformative power," Modi said. "If directionless, it becomes a disruption; if the right direction is found, it becomes a solution. How to make AI machine-centric to human-centric, how to make it sensitive and responsive, this is the basic objective of this Global AI Impact Summit. The theme of this summit clearly reflects the perspective from which India views AI. Welfare of all, the happiness of all. This is our benchmark."

He said that India sees a strong future in AI driven by talent, energy capacity, and policy clarity. He added that three Indian companies have launched their AI models and apps. However, while he highlighted the potential for innovation, he made it a point to pitch for strong guardrails as AI progresses.

"A crucial need today is to establish global standards," he said. "Deepfakes and fabricated content are destabilising the open society. Content should also have authenticity labels so people know what's real and what's created with AI. As AI creates more text, images, and video, the industry increasingly needs watermarking and clear-source standards. Therefore, it's crucial that this trust is built into the technology from the start."

He also spoke of the importance of open source. He said that AI can benefit the masses only when it can be shared and that countries should make a resolve to develop AI as a global common good. He warned that while one should give an 'open sky' to AI, the command should be firmly in our hands, just like a GPS.

"The direction in which we take AI today will determine our future," he said. "We have to have a big vision and shoulder an equally big responsibility. Along with the present generation, we also have to worry about what form of AI we will hand over to the coming generations. Therefore, the real question today is not what Artificial Intelligence can do in the future. The question is, what do we do with Artificial Intelligence in the present?"

He said that while AI is making machines intelligent, it is also increasing human capabilities manyfold. While he said that we have seen such large shifts in the past, the difference this time is that the speed is unprecedented and the scale is also unexpected.

"Earlier, the impact of technology used to take decades to be visible. Today, the journey from machine learning to learning machines is faster, deeper and wider than ever," he said.