Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Artificial Intelligence Summit in Paris on Tuesday, emphasizing the transformative potential of AI in improving lives across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and education.
Highlighting AI’s role in accelerating progress toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he called for global collaboration to pool resources and talent for AI development.
In his speech at the AI Action Summit, PM Modi stated, "AI can help transform millions of lives by improving health, education, agriculture, and so much more. It can help create a world in which the journey to sustainable development goals becomes easier and faster. To do this, we must pull together resources and talent. We must develop open-source systems that enhance trust and transparency."
He further stressed the importance of ethical AI development, urging for unbiased quality datasets, people-centric applications, and robust cybersecurity measures.
PM Modi noted the fears surrounding job losses due to AI but reassured that "history has shown that work does not disappear due to technology, its nature changes and new types of jobs are created. We need to invest in skilling and re-skilling our people for an AI-driven future."
Expressing gratitude to French President Emmanuel Macron for hosting the summit and inviting him to co-chair, PM Modi pointed out the rapid advancements in AI, stating, "AI is already reshaping our polity, our economy, our security, and even our society. AI is writing the code for humanity in this century. But, it is very different from other technology milestones in human history. AI is developing at an unprecedented scale and speed and being adapted and deployed even faster. There is also a deep interdependence across borders."
The Prime Minister also underscored the necessity of inclusive governance to ensure AI benefits all, particularly in the Global South.
Calling for international cooperation, he said, "There is a need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards that uphold 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. Governance is also about ensuring access to all, especially in the Global South. It is where the capabilities are most lacking, be it compute power, talent, or data for financial resources."
PM Modi’s address underscored India's commitment to AI-driven progress while advocating for ethical, transparent, and inclusive technological development on a global scale.