“We are at the dawn of the AI age that will shape the course of humanity,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked during his inaugural address of the AI Action Summit in Paris on Tuesday.
PM Modi, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, is co-chairing the AI Summit 2025 in Paris, where the top world leaders, top tech executives, policymakers, and visionary startup founders have come together to shape the future of artificial intelligence (AI) governance, innovation, and ethics.
He said that some people are concerned about “machines becoming superior in intelligence to humans.” He added that no one holds the key to the “collective future.” He reiterated that the “sense of responsibility” among the leaders will direct the future.
PM Modi in his address with a remarkable example highlighting the insufficiency of AI algorithms, which need to be resolved, and it requires a collective effort from world leaders.
He stressed how AI is continuously redefining different aspects of society. He said, “AI is already reshaping our polity, our economy, our security, and even our society.” He asserted AI as “writing the code for humanity” in this century.
He acknowledged the unprecedented scale and speed at which AI is expanding. And with this concern he voiced for the collective efforts that need to be taken to manage risk and build trust.
“There is a need for collective global efforts to establish governance and standards that uphold our shared values, address risks, and build trust,” he said.
He further talked about the governance role being much more than threat mediation and warfare and pointed out other aspects of governance, which include fostering innovation and global good.
He said, “Governance is not just about managing risks and rivalries. It is also about promoting innovation and deploying it for the global good.”
He further added, “Governance is also about ensuring access to all,” especially in the Global South. He noted the limited capabilities of Global South countries, “be it compute power, talent, data, or the financial resources.”
PM Modi elucidated AI’s role in transforming millions of lives by “improving health, education, agriculture, and so much more.”
He expressed his hope that AI can assist in “creating a world in which Sustainable Development Goals become easier and faster.”
He further mentioned some measures that had to be taken by global countries collectively to “democratise technology and create people-centric applications” and also raised the challenges that need to be addressed related to cybersecurity, disinformation, and deep fakes.
He also pointed out the need that “technology is to be rooted in local ecosystems” for it to be effective and useful. He manifested the anxiety among people that AI will further destroy their jobs.
“History has shown that work does not disappear due to technology. Its nature changes, and new types of jobs are created. We need to invest in skilling and re-skilling our people for an AI-driven future,” he said.
He highlighted India and France’s collaboration through the decades with initiatives like the International Solar Alliance to harness the power of the sun. And further added that both countries are partnering together for AI.
PM Modi applauded India’s accomplishment of successfully building a Digital Public Infrastructure for over 1.4 billion people at a very minimal expense.
He further voiced the vision of India’s National AI Mission, which he exclaimed as “digital commerce, democratic and accessible to all” through “data empowerment and protection architecture.”
He mentioned the G20 Presidency, where India committed to utilising AI responsibly, for good, and for all. He further boosted it, stating that “today, India leads in AI adoption and techno-legal solutions on data privacy.”
PM Modi introduced India’s initiative to build its own large language model, considering our diversity.
“India is ready to share its experience and expertise to ensure that the AI future is for good and for all. India is developing AI applications for public goods,” he remarked.
The Paris Summit has five major themes: Public Interest AI, Future of Work, Innovation and Culture, Trust in AI, and Global AI Governance.
The high-level meeting targets addressing challenges in harnessing the transformative potential of AI while navigating growing concerns over regulatory overreach that some argue could hinder innovation.
French President Emmanuel Macron, EU Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, and UN Chief Antonio Guterres were also present, among others.
