AI needs guardrails to prevent misuse, says Piyush Goyal

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday called for a robust regulatory framework to ensure the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI), warning of the risks posed by misinformation and deepfakes enabled by the technology.

Speaking at the Future Frontiers Forum in London, Goyal said the dangers of AI misuse, particularly through fake videos and social media posts, are “serious concerns” that need to be addressed proactively.

“Misuse can be terrible through AI, with all the fake videos and tweets going around,” he said. “To solve those concerns, you need the human mind.”

Goyal also dismissed the idea that AI could ever surpass human intellect in critical thinking and ethics. “The human mind will be superior to any kind of AI — that I am absolutely sure about,” he asserted.

Despite the risks, Goyal reiterated India’s commitment to embracing AI across sectors. He clarified that the country does not view the technology as a threat to employment.

“Artificial intelligence is an area that India is absolutely going to adopt. We don’t see it as an area of concern that would lead to job losses,” he said. He added that the country’s talent pool stands to benefit from new roles in data handling and problem-solving.

Goyal also stressed on the importance of skilling and reskilling India’s workforce to stay competitive in an AI-driven world. “We are only looking at it as a need to retrain and reskill our talents but adopt it,” he said.