‘AI is mother of all technologies’: S. Jaishankar on AI regulation, access and everyday impact

India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called for strong artificial intelligence (AI) regulation, guardrails, and inclusiveness to prevent misuse and ensure that it is responsibly developed. At the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, Jaishankar also advocated for a people-centric approach to AI, but with caution.

During his interaction with Bloomberg’s Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait. Jaishankar said that AI can not be compared with any other technological advancements, including nuclear technology. “AI is, in that sense, mother of all technologies that we know so far,” he said.

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“It's hard to find a parallel paradigm to what we are confronting with AI. The nuclear one is one which people often use, but here's the difference. In the case of nuclear technology, yes, it was regulated, but remember, there were very limited users of nuclear technology... AI is, in that sense, the mother of all technologies. It's going to be far more pervasive. It is going to be far more impactful on our everyday life. It's something in which everybody will have a stake,” Jaishankar added.

External Affairs Minister also emphasised greater attention on how AI will actually be used in everyday life and how those uses will affect people. However, he argued that AI companies and their leaders are more focused on building powerful computers, semiconductor chips, and the money required to develop AI.

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“Here's the issue. It is again like any technology which is emerging: the focus is on the immediate, the technology leaders. Then it becomes an argument about compute, about chips, about energy, even about water, about funding, about financing it,” he said. “But at the end of the day, you're going to apply it to people.”

Jaishankar further talked about the clear need for safety and guardrails to prevent misuse. He highlighted that there is widespread agreement in India that AI needs rules, safeguards, and clear accountability. “I think there's a pretty good consensus on this. That yes, there should be regulation; there should be guardrails. There is also a feeling that there needs to be a more purposeful, you know, more serious debate about responsibility,” Jaishankar said.