India's AI Ambitions and the Establishment of an AI Safety Institute (AISI)
India is taking strides in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) with plans to launch an indigenous AI model and establish an AI Safety Institute (AISI) under the Safe and Trusted Pillar of the IndiaAI Mission. This initiative aims to address AI risks without relying on potentially outdated regulations.
Global Context of AI Safety Institutes
- Since 2023, countries like the U.K., U.S., Singapore, and Japan have been setting up AISIs.
- AISIs are part of a global network facilitating a "common technical understanding of AI risks."
- The U.K.'s AISI introduced an open-source platform called ‘Inspect’ for evaluating AI models.
- The U.S.'s AISI focuses on national security and public safety risks.
- Singapore's AISI emphasizes content assurance and safe model design.
India's Approach to AI Safety
- India’s AISI will operate on a hub-and-spoke model collaborating with academia, startups, industry, and government.
- It will address India's socioeconomic landscape, linguistic diversity, and technological gaps.
Startup Contributions
- Startups are creating high-quality datasets in Indian languages to address unrepresentative data issues.
- Efforts are being made to develop multilingual AI to enhance inclusivity and accessibility.
IndiaAI Mission Initiatives
- The mission has initiated eight Responsible AI Projects and a second round of Expression of Interest.
- Focus areas include watermarking, ethical AI frameworks, risk assessment, and deep-fake detection tools.
International Collaboration and Standards
- India’s AISI should collaborate globally to tackle AI risks, aligning with initiatives like the Bletchley Declaration.
- Establishing a global standardised AI safety taxonomy is crucial for effective multidisciplinary research.
India's Role in Global AI Governance
- India can lead the Global South in co-developing AI safety frameworks and evaluation metrics.
- Collaboration with UNESCO on AI readiness sets a strong foundation for ethical AI development.
Focus Areas for AI Safety
- Key themes include machine unlearning, synthetic data generation, AI bias mitigation, and privacy-enhancing tools.
Conclusion
India's AISI aims to develop indigenous tools and frameworks embedding responsible AI principles. While focusing on local relevance, it will actively engage with the global AISI network to ensure interoperability and collaboration.
