India Will Regulate AI, Says MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar The minister said that India will look to 'regulate AI' in a manner, that is similar to how the country has gone about regulating other emerging technology areas

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that India will regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ensure that it doesn't harm 'digital citizens'. Speaking in a press conference today that highlighted India's progress in terms of digital tech adoption, largely in the past decade or so, the minister added that India will look to 'regulate AI' in a manner that is similar to how the country has gone about regulating other emerging technology areas.

"Either AI will mitigate user harm or they will not be allowed to operate. Toxicity and criminality have significantly increased on the internet. We won't let attempts to harm digital citizens succeed," said the minister, signifying that 85 crore Indians use the internet, which is expected to shoot up to 120 crore by 2025.

As per the minister, posting private and identifying details of individuals on the internet with malicious intent and without their consent have been rising. The law and order are state subjects and the Centre will have to work with state governments on strict initiatives regarding it.

He further added, "There is a boost of digital connectivity in the country, and it's the vision and mission of the government to ensure safety and security in cyberspace."

Mentioning the Digital India Bill, the minister said that consultations with stakeholders on the same will start this month and the new data protection bill will also be introduced in the Parliament soon.

The minister's comment came at a time when OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman visited India recently to discuss tech, AI and many more, about which PM Modi tweeted, "The potential of AI in enhancing India's tech ecosystem is indeed vast and that too among the youth in particular. We welcome all collaborations that can accelerate our digital transformation for empowering our citizens."