India Launches Stakeholder Consultations On AI Safety And Ethics With UNESCO

UNESCO in collaboration with IT Ministry held a stakeholder consultation on safety and ethics in Artificial Intelligence, an official release said on Saturday adding that India aims to craft a policy that envisions 'AI for All'. The event marks the launch of a series of five consultations under the AI Readiness Assessment Methodology, an initiative by UNESCO and Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) aimed at crafting an India-specific AI policy report.

The report's objective is to identify strengths and growth opportunities within India's AI ecosystem, while providing actionable insights for the responsible and ethical adoption of AI across various sectors, the release said.

"India aims to craft an AI policy that envisions 'AI for All' aligning with global ethical standards to promote the responsible and ethical adoption of AI across various sectors," the release said.

The UNESCO South Asia Regional Office, in collaboration with MeitY and Ikigai Law as the implementing partner, organised a stakeholder consultation on Safety and Ethics in Artificial Intelligence, the release said.

The consultation brought together diverse stakeholders from government, academia, industry, and civil society to explore strategies for aligning India's AI ecosystem with ethical principles in UNESCO's global recommendation on the ethics of AI, emphasising transparency, inclusiveness, and fairness.

The AI RAM serves as a diagnostic tool that identifies opportunities for member states to engage, particularly in AI regulatory and institutional capacity-building efforts.

"As India continues its rapid AI growth, this ethical alignment of AI governance will foster a holistic AI ecosystem for safety and trust, aiding a vision of AI for all," the release added.