AI Action Summit held in Paris on February 11, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the necessity for a collective global framework to govern artificial intelligence (AI). Addressing an audience that included French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, Modi highlighted the transformative potential of AI in sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture. He stressed that while AI offers significant benefits, it also presents challenges that require careful management.
Modi underscored the importance of developing open-source systems to enhance trust and transparency in AI applications. He advocated for building quality data sets free from biases and democratizing technology to create people-centric applications. The Prime Minister also addressed concerns related to cybersecurity, disinformation, and deepfakes, emphasizing the need for technology to be rooted in local ecosystems to be effective and useful.
Reflecting on India’s role in the AI landscape, Modi noted that the country is building its own large language model, considering its diverse population. He highlighted India’s unique public-private partnership model for pooling resources like compute power, which is made available to startups and researchers at an affordable cost. Modi expressed India’s readiness to share its experience and expertise to ensure that the future of AI is beneficial for all.
The Prime Minister acknowledged concerns about AI’s potential to disrupt employment but emphasized that history has shown work does not disappear due to technology; rather, its nature changes, and new types of jobs are created. He called for investment in skilling and reskilling people for an AI-driven future. Modi also highlighted the need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards that uphold shared values, address risks, and build trust.
In his address, Modi reassured that while some people worry about machines becoming superior in intelligence to humans, no one holds the key to our collective future and shared destiny other than humans themselves. He emphasized that this sense of responsibility must guide the development and deployment of AI technologies.
The AI Action Summit in Paris brought together world leaders, tech executives, and policymakers to discuss the future of artificial intelligence. The event aimed to address the opportunities and challenges presented by AI and to foster international collaboration in developing ethical guidelines and governance frameworks.
Modi’s call for a global framework for AI governance aligns with India’s broader strategy to harness technology for inclusive growth while ensuring ethical standards. As AI continues to evolve rapidly, such international dialogues are crucial in shaping policies that balance innovation with responsibility.
