Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence by machines, enabling them to perform tasks like learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. It allows systems to mimic human thinking and improve through data-driven experience. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping our world, transforming how we live, think, and decide. In seconds, it drafts legal opinions, predicts market behavior, summarizes medical reports, and even prepares court submissions. Yet, its brilliance comes with a hidden risk with a warning label – AI doesn’t “know” the truth. It mimics it. Capable of producing polished, plausible answers, AI can still churn out factual errors, legal missteps, or incomplete insights. AI systems are built on large datasets. They excel at reproducing patterns of speech, grammar, structure and logic convincingly. But that does not mean they understand legality, causality, or consequences. As AI researcher Prof. Emily Bender aptly states: “These models are not sources of knowledge. They’re sources of plausible language.”
Legally Speaking, Who Is Accountable? Current laws are clear: The user is responsible, not the AI. If a legal brief drafted by AI misguides a client, the liability is on the lawyer. If a corporate executive acts on AI-based financial advice, the blame cannot be shifted to a machine. Legal scholar Prof. Frank Pasquale cautions: “The myth of algorithmic infallibility is dangerous. Machines do not bear responsibility-humans do.” In 2023, a U.S. lawyer learned this the hard way when AI generated case citations, used in a court filing, proved fictional. The court imposed sanctions. This case echoes globally: AI is not a legal authority. Ex-Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud reminded us: “Technology must empower, not override, judicial wisdom.” This becomes even more crucial in jurisdictions like India, where AI tools are not yet regulated under a specific legal framework. Who Bears the Blame? Legally, accountability rests with the user, not the AI. Use AI-but with your eyes open and your professional guard. Never Treat AI as a Legal Source. Treat its output as a draft, not a declaration. Check every statute, citation, and clause it offers. Where is this coming from? AI must not function like an all-knowing guru but like a junior assistant-useful but fallible. Let it help you brainstorm or summarize. But let human intelligence-and human ethics-make the final call. Test consistency before trusting.
Artificial Intelligence is no longer just a technological innovation-it is the defining force shaping the destiny of humanity and the world the next generation will inherit. AI’s reach goes far beyond automation and convenience; it will reshape education, work, creativity, governance, and even our very values. Tomorrow’s youth face an unprecedented challenge and opportunity. They must not only master coding and data but also embody ethics, empathy, and critical thinking. They will not be mere users of AI; they must become its architects, visionaries, and guardians. The world’s most urgent crises-climate change, inequality, healthcare, and justice-demand AI-driven solutions, yet solutions rooted in human compassion and fairness.
AI offers a promise of boundless empowerment, innovation, and inclusion. But this promise is fragile. Without wise guidance, AI risks becoming a tool that deepens divides, entrenches biases, and concentrates power in the hands of the few. The stakes are existential. As the late Stephen Hawking warned, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race” if we fail to align AI with the core values of humanity. This is a clarion call to the next generation: to lead AI not just with intelligence, but with conscience. Fei-Fei Li, one of the world’s foremost AI pioneers, reminds us, “Technology is not destiny. We shape our destiny.” The future is not prewritten-it will be forged by those who dare to dream and act.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi powerfully articulates this urgent responsibility: “We must not see AI as a magic tool, but as a force we must understand, challenge, and guide-because only when AI is rooted in human values can it truly serve humanity.” AI is neither master nor slave-it is a mirror reflecting the values we program into it. The next generation stands at a crossroads where they can either hand over the future to blind algorithms or wield AI as a force for justice, peace, and progress. As Alan Kay famously said, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” With AI in their hands, today’s youth hold not only the power to invent but the profound responsibility to invent wisely, ethically, and boldly. The dawn of the AI era is also the dawn of a new human era-where intelligence meets conscience, and technology meets humanity. The next generation holds that power; they must rise as the true stewards of this new world.
India stands at the cusp of an AI-driven era, but without dedicated regulation, the risks of misuse and overdependence are growing. There is an urgent need for AI disclosure norms, professional liability laws, and sector-specific regulation for domains like law, healthcare, and finance. Critical decisions cannot rely on unchecked algorithms. Until safeguards are in place, AI must remain a tool, not a truth. Responsible innovation, not blind adoption, should guide India’s AI journey. Unchecked AI can distort justice, compromise lives, and erode public trust. The time to legislate is not tomorrow-it’s now.