India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, emphasised the significance of promoting the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence at the UN. He also highlighted the Indian government's initiatives to integrate AI into good governance and development practices.

While speaking at the UN, Ambassador Harish stressed that technology acts as a bridge to accelerate development and demonstrated how India is utilizing AI to achieve economic and developmental goals. He cited national biometric systems and financial inclusion efforts as examples of India's AI integration.

Harish noted the integration of national AI missions and systems to bridge digital divides within and between countries, emphasizing that no one should be left behind digitally. He explained that digital systems in India are designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of economic status or educational background.

He also mentioned how digital financial payment systems have empowered citizens, using the example of vegetable vendors in Delhi or Mumbai using digital payment systems, even if illiterate, and illiterate individuals opening bank accounts via biometric identification systems.

Ambassador Harish also brought to attention that India has developed many digital governance tools in an open-source format and has made their source codes publicly available online, allowing other countries and companies to adapt them to their own national circumstances.

He reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a strong cooperative framework among nations to establish effective regulatory systems for AI, as stated at the AI Action Summit in Paris.

Furthermore, Ambassador Harish announced that India would host the next AI Action Summit, which will serve as a guiding platform for global discussions on AI governance.

ANI