“Children Say Ai (Mother) And AI”: PM Modi, Bill Gates Discuss AI

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Microsoft co-founder today discussed a wide range of issues from Artificial Intelligence to the future of technology and women empowerment.

PM Modi said that Artificial Intelligence or AI technology helped to translate his speeches and address in different languages at the G20 Summit.

Speaking to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, the Prime Minister said AI plays an important role in today’s world. “AI is very important. Sometimes, I jokingly say that in our country, we call our mother ‘Ai (pronounced as aayee)’. Now I say that when a child is born, he says ‘Ai ‘ as well as AI as children have become so advanced,” the Prime Minister said.

He asked Bill Gates to take a selfie through his (NaMo) app and then showed him how it could be located through the face-recognition technology.

Bill Gates praised India’s technological advancements, adding that the country is leading the way.

Misuse of AI

The Prime Minister also pointed at the deepfake content generated through various AI tools, and called for measures to tackle the misuse of the technology.

He said that the world should establish some dos and don’ts for using this technology.

“In a democratic country like India, anybody can use deepfake.It’s crucial to acknowledge that deepfake content is AI-generated. We need to think about some dos and don’ts,” he said.

He also said that people shouldn’t be misguided about AI.

“If we use AI as a magic tool, it will perhaps lead to a grave injustice. If AI is relied on out of laziness then it is the wrong path,” the Prime Minister added.

Bridging Digital Divide

PM Modi said he believed in democratisation of technology as it gives everyone an equal opportunity, adding that the government has launched various schemes for villages.

“When I used to hear about the digital divide in the world, I used to think that I would not allow anything like that to happen in my country. Digital public infrastructure is a major requirement in itself,” he said.

He also said that women are “more open to adopting” new technology in India.

“I have started ‘Namo Drone Didi’ scheme. This is going on very successfully. I interact with them these days, they are delighted. They say that they didn’t know to ride a bicycle but they are now pilots and can fly drones. The mindset has changed,” he said.