IT Secretary S. Krishnan stated on Wednesday that the government’s current priority is fostering innovation in the AI space and will introduce regulation or legislation only when necessary. The government aims to leverage Artificial Intelligence to ensure it delivers maximum benefit for the people of the country.
Krishnan emphasised that the focus remains on innovation. "If we believe that the priority needs to be for innovation, regulation is not the priority today. There is a lot of play for innovation in the AI space. Having said that, let me again assert that if the need arises for legislation or regulation, the government will not be found wanting," he affirmed.
Supporting the 'Innovation-First' Approach
The Secretary made these remarks while releasing the IndiaAI governance guidelines report, submitted by a sub-committee under the IndiaAI Mission. The report recommends the principles and strategy the government should adopt for governing AI-related matters.
Krishnan noted that the report supports the government's position that there is no need to rush into legislation right now. "We are focused on human centricity... this report is going to be a key and important contribution, which again underlines the government's emphasis that our focus is primarily on innovation," he said. While encouraging innovation will continue, the government will take necessary action to protect people from the apparent and obvious harms posed by the technology.
Key Governance Recommendations
The sub-committee, chaired by IIT Madras Professor B. Ravindran, recommended seven key principles for AI governance:
- Trust and People-First Approach
- Innovation Over Restraint
- Fairness and Equity
- Accountability
- Provide Disclosures and Explanations
- Follow elements required for Safety, Resilience, and Sustainability
Proposed Action Plan
The panel fine-tuned measures in the context of AI and suggested a tiered action plan:
- Short-Term Measures: Establish key governance institutions, develop an India-specific AI framework, suggest legal amendments, and expand access to infrastructure and AI safety rules.
- Medium-Term Measures: Publish common standards, amend relevant laws and regulations, operationalise AI incident systems, and pilot regulatory sandboxes.
- Long-Term Strategy: Keep working on improving skills and creating standards, look over and refresh the government guidelines, and write new laws to address new challenges and opportunities.
Principal Scientific Advisor Ajay Sood stressed that all ministries and industries must collaborate to form groups focused on both safeguards and innovations around AI. Ministry of Electronics and IT Additional Secretary, Abhishek Singh, confirmed the recommendations followed a public consultation process that screened around 650 received comments.
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