Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed global leaders at the AI Action Summit in Paris on Tuesday, co-chairing the event with French President Emmanuel Macron. Speaking to heads of state, government officials, and top tech leaders, PM Modi highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) while warning about the unchecked biases that could pose risks to society.
AI’s Potential Must Be Matched with Caution
PM Modi acknowledged AI’s vast potential, calling it a transformative force in reshaping humanity’s future. However, he also pointed out the inherent dangers of biases within AI systems, urging global leaders to approach the technology with caution. “While the positive potential of AI is absolutely amazing, there are many biases that we need to think carefully about,” he said during his address.
Modi further said, “We stand at the cusp of an AI era that will salvage the course of humankind. People fear machines getting more intelligent than humans. Nobody has a magic wand that could alter the collective future and common destiny other than the humans. That feeling of responsibility needs to lead us forward.”
Need for Global Cooperation and Governance
The Prime Minister highlighted that AI is developing at such an extraordinary pace that its adaptation is happening faster than ever before. He stated that collective global efforts are necessary to establish governance frameworks that uphold shared values, respond to risks, and instill trust. “AI is developing at an unprecedented scale and speed, and being adapted and deployed even faster. There is also a deep interdependence across borders,” Modi explained.
He continued, “Therefore, there is a need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards that upload our shared values, address risks, and build trust. But governance is not just about managing rifts and rivalries. It is also about promoting innovation and deploying it for the global good. So we must think deeply and discuss openly about innovation and governance.”
AI Shaping the Future of Humanity
Modi further highlighted that AI is increasingly influencing different facets of life, from politics and security to economy and society. He drew a parallel to writing the “code of humanity in the 21st century,” but he warned that biases embedded in AI technologies should not be overlooked.
The Paris AI Action Summit – that started on Monday – focuses on drafting a worldwide AI framework. Key players from the international community are in attendance, and, in discussions with them, they aim to set down the guidelines governing responsible and ethical AI development. Some of the notable attendees comprise US Vice President JD Vance, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, and other high-ranking officials from well over 100 countries.
