'AI big opportunity, going to increase jobs,' says Commerce min Piyush Goyal

The minister said that it is an idea whose time has come.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers huge opportunities, and it is only going to increase jobs in the country.

He also said, "I have told my office, every person at decision-making levels, has to have the latest version of AI, ChatGPT or whatever else is available, on their phones or their laptops.

"So we are going to use it, but with a condition that any input they make should have at the bottom, that it has been generated or prepared with the support of AI...and has been validated for," he said at an industry chamber event in Delhi.

The minister said that it is an idea whose time has come.

India is a nation which is always willing to adopt new technologies, he said, adding that there will be a few naysayers who would write that technologies like AI would have a terrible impact on jobs.

But, one should not be deterred by that, he said.

"AI will have its role...there will be the problem of unethical use of AI, so human intervention will be required to address that...This is only going to increase jobs...and Indians are agile and very smart..So I look upon this as a great opportunity; we must adopt it," he said.

He added that there could be short-term blips till unethical use or other problems come, but in the long run, it will be great for India.

In February, the finance ministry directed its officers not to download or use AI tools and apps such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek in office computers and devices, saying they pose confidentiality risks to data and documents.

On March 27, Union minister Jitendra Singh said that there is no specific prohibition on the use and adoption of AI-based tools by any government departments as this is an emerging technology with great potential in citizen-oriented web applications.

However, government functionaries are expected to exercise due diligence and caution to ensure safety, security and confidentiality of public information while using any digital technology or platform, he has said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

With inputs from PTI