India has built vibrant digital public infrastructure, sharing it with world: PM

STATE TIMES NEWS

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India has built a vibrant digital public infrastructure and is sharing it with the world because technology is not a medium of power for the country but of service, not to dominate but to empower.

Addressing the Leaders’ Plenary session at the India AI Impact Summit, Modi also said while technology in the past created divisions, artificial intelligence (AI) must now be accessible and within everyone’s reach.
He stressed that the aspirations and priorities of the Global South must be placed at the centre of AI governance as the future of AI is discussed.
Welcoming the participants once again to the AI Impact Summit in India, the prime minister expressed confidence that the summit will play a crucial role in building a human-centric and sensitive global AI ecosystem.
He said history shows humanity has always turned disruptions into opportunities, and today presents another such moment to transform disruption into humanity’s greatest opportunity.
“In recent years, India has built a vibrant digital public infrastructure and is sharing it with the world, because for India, technology is not a medium of power but of service, not to dominate but to empower. The AI too must follow this direction to ensure the welfare of humanity,” he said in the presence of world leaders at the Bharat Mandapam here.
The prime minister emphasised that the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ensured seamless online transactions even in difficult circumstances and played a major role in bridging the digital divide.
He said India is providing its startups with world-class computing power at highly affordable rates. India has also created AIKosh (National Dataset Platform), through which more than 7,500 datasets and 270 AI models have been shared as national resources, he said.
Modi emphasised that India’s direction and vision for AI are clear — AI is a shared resource for the welfare of humanity.
He recalled Lord Buddha’s teaching that “Right Action comes from Right Understanding”, stressing the importance of creating a roadmap that ensures AI’s positive impact through timely, well-intentioned and correct decisions.
He said the “aspirational India” has a major role in the global journey of artificial intelligence and, recognising this responsibility, India is taking significant steps.
The prime minister highlighted that ethics has always been central to human progress but with AI, the scope of unethical behaviour is unlimited.
Ethical norms for AI must also be unlimited and the AI companies carry a major responsibility to focus not only on profit but also on purpose, and underscore the need for strong ethical commitments, he said.
Modi offered three suggestions for ethical AI use: AI training must respect data sovereignty and be based on a trusted global data framework.
He highlighted the principle of “garbage in, garbage out”, stressing that output cannot be trustworthy if data is not secure, balanced and reliable.
The AI platforms must keep their safety rules clear and transparent, a “glass box” approach instead of a “black box”, where safety rules are visible and verifiable, he said, adding this would ensure accountability and strengthen ethical behaviour in business.
Modi said the AI must be guided by clear human values and cited the “paper clip problem” as an example, where a machine given a single goal could exhaust all global resources to achieve it.
He underlined that while technology is powerful, direction must always be determined by humans. At a personal level, AI is already influencing human learning, intelligence and emotions, he said.
Modi said during the COVID-19 global pandemic, the world witnessed that even the impossible becomes possible when nations stand together.
Cooperation provided solutions, from vaccine development to supply chains, from data sharing to saving lives, he said, adding that India saw how technology can serve humanity, citing the digital vaccination platform that helped vaccinate millions on time. He said while technology is powerful, direction must always be determined by humans and highlighted that under India’s AI Mission, 38,000 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are already available and 24,000 more will be added in the next six months.
The prime minister underlined the need to build an AI future that advances innovation, strengthens inclusion and integrates human values.
When technology and human trust move together, the true impact of AI will be visible across the world, he said.