India-EU bilateral talks to discuss on AI safety, semiconductors, DPI soon

The EU-India Trade and Technology Council was announced by the European Commission in April 2022, and launched in February 2023

As part of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) officials are expected to discuss the possibility of collaboration between the two regions in responsible and safe artificial intelligence, sources told Moneycontrol.

The meeting was expected to be held post-November 24 in Brussels, Belgium. Moneycontrol now understands that it has been postponed for the time being.

This collaboration between India and the EU under the TTC is pivotal, as both regions are working to establish global leadership in ethical AI governance amid rapid advancements in generative AI and increasing calls for regulation.

The EU’s AI Act focuses on ethical and safe AI deployment, while India’s emerging frameworks, like the IndiaAI initiative emphasise harnessing AI for inclusive growth.

Apart from discussions on AI safety, officials of the IT ministry, led by secretary S Krishnan and others, are also expected to hold deliberations on digital public infrastructure, skilling initiatives, and semiconductors, among other topics.

The EU-India Trade and Technology Council was announced by the European Commission in April 2022 and launched in February 2023. It has three working groups: one on strategic technologies, digital governance, and digital connectivity; another on green and clean energy technologies; and a third on resilient value chains, trade, and investment.

India's discussion on AI, semiconductors, and other related subjects will take place as part of the working group's focus on digital governance and strategic technologies.

Apart from officials of MeitY, officials of the Commerce Ministry is also set to travel to the European Union. According to a PTI report, officials of commerce ministry are expected to take stock of negotiations for the proposed trade agreement with the European Union.

The working group on “Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity”, first met for the first time on May 3, 2023, followed by a Business Roundtable.

The first TTC meeting was held on May 16, 2023, in Brussels, following which a ministerial-level meeting was held on November 24, 2023. On November 21, India and the EU signed an MoU on Semiconductor on November 21, 2023.

A joint India-EU Workshop on High-Performance and Quantum Computing under the India-EU Intent of Co-operation Program was held in June 2023, at the C-DAC Pune.

On March 15, 2024, a team of journalists from the Central Europe region met with Krishnan to discuss social media regulations and semiconductor manufacturing, cyber security and so on.