'AI Will Be Regulated Through The Prism Of User Harm': MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said that the government will not ban emerging technologies unless they are linked with user harm.

While responding to questions from stakeholders on the issue of sectoral regulation during Digital India Dialogues on the Principles of the Digital India Act (DIA), the minister said the DIA will allow sectoral regulators such as RBI and SEBI and other ministries to create additional safeguards.

"The DIA will result in harmonization of different laws and sectoral regulators will be consulted for this purpose," he added.

On the issue of regulating emerging technologies, the minister said, "AI will be regulated through the prism of user harm. The objective is to ensure that emerging technologies should not cause any harm to Digital Nagariks".

"Similarly, the industry can suggest guardrails for blockchain and Web 3.0. We will not ban anything in the innovation space, unless it is linked with user harm. We want to lead the charge in Web 3.0 and in AI--with guardrails defined. I am not a big fan of regulators in the sense that it shouldn’t create another layer of compliance," he added.

Talking about Safety and Trust, the minister mentioned, “Safety and Trust will be at the heart of the DIA, and it is going to be a huge section in the DIA. Online harm is also being dealt with by regulators globally".

India is soon going to have 1.3 billion people accessing the internet and these Digital Nagriks should approach the internet without any fear and mistrust, especially as many government services also move to the internet, he said.

"A safe and trusted internet is a win-win for all stakeholders. Weaponisation of misinformation and disinformation is also a major concern that needs to be addressed, especially with the added catalyst of AI-driven deepfakes," he added.