Technology: “Surpass AI,” PM Modi to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: Asserting that technology can play a major role in sectors such as agriculture, health, and education, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged Microsoft Inc. co-founder to encourage technologists to aim higher and surpass even Artificial Intelligence (AI) with greater innovation.

In a 45-minute-long wide-ranging interaction, the two world leaders—one in politics, the other in technology—talked about technology and innovation for all and discussed AI ethics, besides climate change and women empowerment, the media reported.

PM Modi urged the technology sector and tech adopters to focus their energies on competing with AI and challenging it instead of seeing it as a magic tool that makes people lazy and use it only for basic jobs like letter writing. Efforts must be made to surpass AI’s present capabilities.

“If we use AI as a magic tool, it will perhaps lead to a grave injustice. If AI is relied on out of laziness…then it is the wrong path. I should have a competition with ChatGPT and strive to surpass AI…,” PM Modi said.

He said that he was pushing AI to recognize and adapt to the multiple languages of India, as he stressed the need to label AI-generated content, cautioning about the deceptive potential of deepfakes.

Regarding AI, he also stressed the importance of technology, including platforms like ChatGPT, for personal and professional improvement. He demonstrated face-recognition technology through his app, emphasizing the democratization of technology and its accessibility to all, especially in rural areas.

Gates lauded India’s progress in technological advancements and Digital Public Infrastructure, where the country has made a mark. “Here, it is like Digital Government. India is not only adapting technology but it is leading the way.”

AI was still being explored and there would be challenges ahead on how and to what extent it can be used as an effective tool, Gates said. “These are early days in AI…It will do things that you think are hard and then it will fail to do something which you think is easy. It seems like AI is a huge opportunity but there are a few challenges that come with it.”

PM Modi also called for a well-considered legal framework to regulate AI and deepfake technology.

“If such a good thing (AI) is given to someone without proper training, it is likely to be misused…I suggest that we should start with clear watermarks on AI-generated content so that nobody is misguided…In a democratic country like India, anybody can use deepfake… It’s crucial to acknowledge that deepfake content is AI-generated. We need to think about some dos and don’ts,” he said.

PM Modi expressed confidence that India will “gain a lot” in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) with the digital element at its core. Historically, during the First and Second Industrial Revolutions, India had lagged because it was a colony, he noted.

“AI is very important. Sometimes, I jokingly say that in our country, we call our mother ‘Aai’. Now I say that when a child is born, he says ‘Aai’ and AI as children have become so advanced,” he remarked.

PM Modi told Gates how AI was used during the 2023 G-20 Summit in India, how his speech in Hindi was translated into Tamil during the Kashi Tamil Sangamam event, and how AI was used in the NaMo App.

His conversation with Gates focused on technology, digital infrastructure, and AI as they also discussed issues such as healthcare, climate change mitigation, and special vaccine efforts planned to protect girls and children from cervical cancer.
The two leaders discussed the convergence of technology and sustainability initiatives.

PM Modi highlighted how he democratized access to technology across the country and took the infrastructure to villages across the country, as he emphasized the creation of digital public infrastructure as a public good.

“When I used to hear about the digital divide in the world, I thought I would not allow it in my country. Digital public infrastructure is a major requirement in itself… Women are more open to adopting new technology in India…”

He narrated how he rolled out initiatives to empower women and highlighted the transformative NaMo Didi Drone program, which equips women with drone piloting skills.

“I have started the ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme. They say that they didn’t know even riding a bicycle but they are now pilots and can fly drones. The mindset has changed,” PM Modi said.

On green initiatives, he also stressed the need to embrace the concept of ‘Green GDP’ as an important metric for assessing countries’ performance.

On vaccines, he said his government—in the third term— plans to allocate large sums of money in the budget for encouraging research on developing vaccines for cervical cancer and protecting all the girls in the country.

On India’s successful presidency over the G-20 Summit in 2023, the PM said: “We had extensive discussions before the Summit and as you might have seen, its proceedings took many turns. I believe we have now aligned with G-20’s core purposes and objectives, bringing them to the mainstream. I hope your first-hand experience echoes this sentiment.”

“During the previous G-20 Summit in Indonesia, representatives from around the world were curious about the digital revolution in India. I explained to them that we have democratized technology to prevent monopoly,” he added.

Gates said, “G-20 raised things like digital innovations and how the south-south collaboration can be far more than just the dialogue with the north. Our foundation is so excited about the past results that you have achieved here in India, that we would be a partner in trying to take that into many other countries.”

On the issue of climate change, PM Modi called for redefining development parameters to prioritize sustainability, advocating for concepts like green GDP and green employment.