Syllabus: Science and Technology — developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Context
- At the G-20 Summit in Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged nations to adopt a global compact on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to prevent misuse.
- The session focused on critical minerals, decent work, and AI.
Need for a Global Compact on AI
- PM stressed that AI must serve global good, not narrow commercial or political interests.
- Warned that AI misuse—especially deepfakes, cybercrime, and terror activities—poses serious risks to public trust and security.
Core Principles Proposed for AI Governance
- Effective Human Oversight: Humans must remain accountable for all critical decisions.
- Safety-by-Design: AI systems must integrate safety, risk checks, and red-flag mechanisms from inception.
- Transparency & Auditability: AI models affecting public life must be open to scrutiny and responsible audits.
- Strict Restrictions on Harmful Uses: Global prohibition on AI for deepfakes, misinformation, criminal activity, and terrorism.
- Open-Source, Global Access Approach: PM urged an AI ecosystem based on global sharing, not exclusive or nationalistic models.
India’s Position & Initiatives
- India advocates human-centric, not finance-centric, technology development.
- Highlighted benefits of India’s open digital ecosystem—digital payments, space tech, AI applications.
- Under the India-AI Mission, the government is expanding accessible high-performance computing to democratise AI benefits.
Future Roadmap
- G-20 must shift focus from “jobs of today” to “capabilities of tomorrow” to prepare for rapid tech disruptions.
- PM called for a global framework on talent mobility, building on progress achieved during the Delhi G-20 Summit.
- India will host the AI Impact Summit in February 2026 themed “Sarvajanam Hitaya, Sarvajanam Sukhaya”.
Conclusion
- India emphasises sustainable development, trusted trade, fair finance, and inclusive progress.
- A global AI compact is essential to ensure that AI strengthens society while preventing misuse.