Despite differences, AI summit has set stage for cooperation: Indian officials | India News
NEW DELHI: After a week of high-level diplomacy and billion-dollar pitches, several national delegations at the India AI Impact Summit will issue a joint statement on how the world should manage artificial intelligence on Saturday, a day later than planned, as governments work to expand global consensus on the document. The announcement, already supported by more than 70 countries, reinforces India’s push for companies to invest more than $250 billion in the country and shape the global AI agenda for the Global South. Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnav Friday said there was “overwhelming consensus” that discussions were continuing. “The declaration and its modalities will be shared transparently tomorrow,” he said, adding that India hoped the number of final signatories would cross 80.
Despite differences, the summit set the stage for cooperation: Indian officials Countries failed to reach a consensus at the last summit in Paris but there appears to be greater coordination between governments and organizations on a number of issues. Real disagreements have also arisen over global governance. As the UN announced the creation of an independent scientific panel on AI, the US delegation warned against centralized global regulation of generative AI, citing the difficulty of forging binding global rules. Despite the differences, Indian officials said the summit laid the groundwork for cooperation rather than confrontation. “It’s about real action, not just paper,” Vaishnav said, pointing to bilateral talks, industry commitments and plans for an expanded AI Mission 2.0. Ashwini Vaishnav said the scale and diversity of participation underscored global confidence in India’s vision. “The world has confidence in India’s role in the new AI era. It is very important for all of us,” he said. According to the minister, more than five lakh visitors attended the summit and expo, with “almost every major AI player in the world” participating. A major highlight, Vaishnav said, was Prime Minister Modi’s acceptance of the vision of “Manbhai” – AI of people, by people, for people – which puts responsible and ethical use of AI at the centre. “For the first time, the discussion on ethical and responsible AI has been brought to the fore in such a meaningful way,” he said. Investment commitments also feature prominently. Vaishnav said that infrastructure-related commitments linked to AI, data center and collaborative technologies have already crossed $250 billion, with close to $20 billion of deep-tech venture investments completed. “Numbers are important, but most important is the confidence the world has shown in India,” he said.
