At the India AI Impact Summit, Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder of Infosys, emphasized the importance of demonstrating meaningful uses of artificial intelligence (AI) and ensuring its responsible diffusion. He cautioned that failure to do so could lead to negative repercussions. Nilekani highlighted the current scenario in AI development, describing it as a competition between a “race to the top” and a “race to the bottom,” with the latter progressing faster.
He expressed concerns that a lack of responsible AI deployment might result in adverse outcomes, mentioning the potential for public backlash if AI applications only led to the creation of deep fakes or increased power costs. Nilekani drew parallels to past scenarios, stating that resentment among workers, both blue-collar and white-collar, could derail the progress of AI.
Nilekani stressed the need to focus on practical issues faced by users, such as improving healthcare access for a billion people. He emphasized that beyond technology, addressing these challenges requires building trust, establishing institutions, and collaborating with various stakeholders to achieve a common goal. Nilekani pointed out India’s successful adoption of digital technologies like UPI and Aadhaar as examples for the world to follow.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed global leaders to the AI India Summit, which is set to host over 500 AI experts, including CEOs, academicians, researchers, and government officials. The event aims to facilitate discussions on AI’s transformative potential, with participation from numerous heads of state, ministers, and industry leaders.
