GPAI Summit: Member countries unanimously adopt New Delhi declaration on artificial intelligence

MoS for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar addressing the press at GPAI Summit

The New Delhi declaration of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence that was unanimously adopted by 28 countries laid special emphasis on the risks of AI, specifically misinformation, disinformation, personal data, threats to human rights and democracy.

This comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while urging countries to work together on a global framework for AI, pointed out that the technology has the power to make or break democracies.

The declaration says, "We acknowledge the need to harness new opportunities and mitigate the risks arising from the development, deployment, and use of such technologies. This includes concerns around misinformation and disinformation, unemployment, lack of transparency and fairness, protection of intellectual property and personal data, and threats to human rights and democratic values."

The declaration further mentioned GPAI's role in "addressing contemporary AI issues, including generative AI, through applied AI projects aimed at addressing societal problems and global challenges, maximising the benefits and mitigating associated risks."

The consensus on the declaration was arrived at after a nearly 5-hour ministerial council meeting at the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) summit.

The declaration further emphasises on increasing collaboration, inclusion and developing a governance framework on artificial intelligence.

Minister for State for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Rajeev Chandrasekhar, while addressing a press conference after the completion of the meeting said, "All countries unanimously adopted the New Delhi declaration. The declaration promises to position GPAI at the front of shaping AI in terms of innovation and collaboration; increasing applications of AI in healthcare, agriculture and other areas of concern."

Chandrasekhar added that GPAI will be also at the forefront of shaping AI governance, and lead conversation on safe and trusted AI.

In terms of inclusion, Chandrasekhar said that the resolution talks about including countries from the global South in GPAI, and also on making benefits of AI available to such countries.

Over the next few months, the Indian government will work with other countries, and hold another GPAI meeting next year to discuss on the AI governance framework.

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The press conference was also attended by UK's Minister for AI and Intellectual Property Viscount Jonathan Camrose, Japan's Vice Minister in Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Hiroshi Yoshida and France's Minister for Digital Transition and Telecommunications Jean-Noel Barrot. MeitY secretary S Krishnan and additional secretary Abhishek Singh also attended the meeting.

France's Barrot said, "We also want GPAI to be an inclusive platform that is open to like-minded partners, that share our vision of a human-centric AI, and our attachment to democracy. In order to achieve this in the next few months under the Indian presidency of GPAI, we will be discussing how we can pool some of our expert resources with that of the OECD in order to extend our reach and our ability to come up with the best possible solutions for the governance and the deployment of AI for the good of our people."

Japan's Yoshida said, "As the outgoing chair, firstly I would like to congratulate India for the fruitful discussion. Japan fully supports the India declaration, especially we think that GPAI should be more inclusive. We want to encourage more developing countries to join GPAI "

UK's Viscount Camrose said, "I am really excited to be a part of the ministerial declaration. GPAI makes an uniquely powerful contribution -- firstly because it is inclusive, secondly because it is adaptive."