RACE FOR AI LEADERSHIP

Artificial Intelligence is the buzz word these days and the world in general is not sure where this race is heading, is it to eventual doom, the Terminator nightmare coming alive or is it for the greater good. No one has the answer actually, even Sam Altman will be at a loss to indulge in crystal gazing. But this gorilla called AI is very much in the room and cannot be ignored any longer. We have to court it, befriend it and actually tame it to perform tricks as per our commands. A layman looks at this new animal with apprehension, as he is a little scared at the turbulence it is expected to cause in his normal life, as he has lived since ages. Imagine, if all the low level workforce was laid off, how will they sustain themselves? Will they be living off the doles dished out by the government alone or will they be able to reinvent new roles for themselves to be able to be useful to the society in general and in the bargain earn their own livelihood comfortably? The recently concluded AI Summit has made this abundantly clear that this AI is not mere hype nor a bubble waiting to be burst. 

Once we realise that AI is part of our life now on, as ubiquitous as the internet, in our palms through the gadgets, we will learn to exploit it gradually. More importantly, the scientists and innovators have their job cut out, they have to be leading the pack, rather than be reduced to do menial work. Although we start with a handicap as US and China are way ahead in the race for the Digital infra which is already in place, but we as a nation have started to take some baby steps towards that direction. The major requirement for creating this infra is Finance, then the humongous quantity of power supply, qualified human resource and finally the will of the govt and the people.  We have an edge in terms of the technical acumen, in other fields govt has to take the lead in giving it the necessary push by providing all kinds of incentives. We need to channelise this in the right direction, that is what this summit has provided us with.

While we all are gushing over the capabilities of AI, the concern about AI sovereignty raised by the PM Modi ji should be heeded to by the Digital Tzars, as also by all the nation states, as in the wrong hands, it is extremely dangerous. AI, it must be remembered does not distinguish between good and evil, it just executes the command, something akin to Aladin’s Djinn. In the wrong hands, terrorists and adversaries will have a field day, as technological secrets such as chemical or biological weapons will be spilled out at a click.  Every coin has two sides, so naturally AI also provides the law enforcement agencies with the wherewithal to track, trace and keep in check the rogue elements. In fact AI has provided the developing countries with the opportunity to take a leap of faith and join the developed countries by exploiting the tremendous potential of AI in health, education, agriculture and even industry.

India has to start investing heavily in education and R&D, as currently both these areas are not really on the radar of the hierarchy.  Students will of course exploit AI as part of their curriculum, but if we aspire for leadership roles, we have to be ahead of the curve.  Similarly investment in R&D, not only from the government but also from the industry is mandatory. The TCS, Wipro, Infosys, HCL etc have to get out of their comfort zone and should be investing in Data Centres of their own rather than depend on offshore ones. Indigenising the infra is the first step towards AI sovereignty. Moreover with captive capabilities, they themselves will be steering this highly competitive field. We missed the industrial revolution, played catch up in the information age but in the AI era, we have the ability to lead from the front and owe it to our future generations, that is what our natural intelligence conjures.