AI Summit: Centre open to mid-course corrections in IndiaAI Mission, says Meity secretary S Krishnan

The report was released on February 16

• Government open to changes in IndiaAI Mission after UNESCO report
• Report urges expanding AI skills beyond urban, English speakers
• Recommendations include AI risk mapping and promoting ethical AI

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Taking cognisance of recommendations made in a recent UNESCO report, IT secretary S Krishanan said that the government is open to making changes to the IndiaAI Mission, the central scheme that aims to boost India's AI infrastructure.

Speaking at the launch of the India Artificial Intelligence Readiness Assessment Report on the first day of the India AI Impact Summit in Bharat Mandapam on February 16, Krishnan said, "The IndiaAI Mission is flexible. We can accommodate any mid-course corrections."

The report is a result of a collaboration between UNESCO and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The India report was developed by Ikigai Law.

"Despite ongoing progress, challenges persist in India's Al ecosystem, as reflected in policy analyses and stakeholder consultations," the report said.

"During stakeholder consultations, a recurring theme was the need to expand Al skill development beyond urban and English-speaking populations," it read.

"Equitable access to compute infrastructure and other foundational resources was also identified as essential for enabling wider participation in Al development, particularly for smaller institutions and start-ups. Moreover, issues such as the lack of high quality, representative datasets across sectors and the absence of robust, interoperable data-sharing frameworks were seen as barriers to developing efficient and inclusive Al systems," the report added.

The report made several recommendations, including:

• Conducting a national AI risk mapping exercise and develop taxonomy of harms
• Urging IndiaAI Mission to promote voluntary measures and commitments to promote ethical and safe AI development
• Strengthening Centre-State coordination for AI governance
• Bolster the AIKosh platform further
• Urging IndiaAI Mission to conduct a national study understand public perceptions of AI
• Upskilling
• Study on the environmental costs of AI and its implications for India
• Interventions to promote diversity in the AI workforce,