External Affairs Minister (EAM) emphasizes India's unique position on the world stage, highlighting its responsibility as a leader and inspiration for the Global South nations. Discover how India plans to contribute to regional and global development, promote cooperation, and set an example for emerging nations. This is a crucial message about India's role in shaping a more balanced and equitable international order.
00:00Dr. Ranjana Kamariji, friends, it's a great pleasure to join you all this morning as we
00:09commence the Trust and Safety Festival, TASI Festival. As a pre-summit event for the February
00:182026 AI Impact Summit, it kicks off a set of conversations that are of great interest
00:28both in India and to the world. I commend the Center for Social Research India and you,
00:38Dr. Ranjana Kamariji, personally, for taking this initiative. Friends, in human history,
00:47the advancement of progress has been determined by the March of Technology. Yet, that has not
00:57always been a linear path. The promise and the perils have always been two sides of the
01:07same coin. Choices made in the deployment and application decided the difference between
01:16empowerment and exploitation, between democratization and domination, and between partnership and
01:25polarization. Today, we are at the cusp of an immense change and decisions made by us, individually
01:37and collectively, will help decide the fate of the foreseeable future. Now, if any of you think that this is an
01:49exaggeration, consider what is likely to happen in just the next few years. AI will transform our economies,
02:01it will change our work habits, it will create radically new health solutions, it will enhance educational access,
02:11it will improve efficiencies, it could even lead to a new lifestyle. The difference with the past is that this particular
02:23transformation that is going to come upon us, this will be all pervasive and not just sectoral. It will impact every citizen in
02:36every corner of the world. New efficiencies and new possibilities will certainly emerge, but so too will new players and new
02:49power centers. For this very reason, we need to adopt a balanced approach to the governance of AI and to ensure that there are
03:02adequate guardrails in place to protect digital nagriks. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has noted, technology is a force for good,
03:15but only if humanity guides it. Friends, trust and safety are essential for the implementation of responsible AI. For a society like India, this
03:31means development of indigenous tools and frameworks, self-assessment protocols for innovators, and establishing relevant guidelines. Only then can we be
03:45assured that the development, deployment, use and governance of AI is safe and accessible. India bears special responsibility because many other nations,
04:00other nations, especially those of the global south, they look to us for inspiration. And certainly, in the case of the digital public infrastructure, today, what we have achieved in the last decade, if you see the scale of today, our delivery, the improvement in governance, the efficiencies with which we serve the public, I think it is already resonating across the world as a
04:28foreign minister. When I go abroad, this is often the topic of conversation. And I can see very much this being extrapolated into the world of AI as well. Now, different societies have put different levels of emphasis on the benefits and on the risks of AI.
04:50Understandably, some of the narrative is influenced by those who have skin in the game. But at the end of the day, it is imperative that we take a sober and we take a balanced view. After all, concerns about bias, ethics, privacy and vulnerability are well-founded, deriving from pre-existing experiences.
05:18We also need to take particular precaution against the danger of losing trust in institutions and practices that underpin our daily life. Already, we see an inclination to question the empire or even the playing field when the results don't go in our favor.
05:40Maintaining, maintaining, I would argue, even strengthening in the era of AI. Strengthening trust is therefore of utmost importance.
05:52Friends, encouraging a global discourse on AI is obviously essential. Indeed, every time a game-changing technology has appeared on the horizon, it has triggered off similar endeavors.
06:07But history is also a witness to the reality that those exercises have not been easy. There is the obvious temptation to put narrow self-interest above collective good.
06:22And that is why we need to rise to this particular challenge. Because what is at stake cannot be overstated. It is not just the ambitions of politics, but the personal interest of every citizen on this planet.
06:39Now, we in India, we have consistently advocated for global AI governance and the shaping of an international agenda. We have demonstrated this during our G20 presidency and strongly urged its usage for advancing sustainable development goals, while safeguarding trust, safety, fairness and accountability.
07:08As a founding member of the global partnership on AI, we promoted the New Delhi declarations, which envisaged responsible and inclusive AI. We participated in the AI summits in Bletchley Park and Seoul and co-chaired the Paris AI Action Summit last year.
07:29The AI Impact Summit in 2026, with the focus obviously on impact, will take this forward.
07:38So let me conclude by saying this. This is an endeavor whose success depends on our ability to ensure multi-stakeholdership. And that is why the TASI Festival today is important.
07:58It is important because it sends out a strong, inclusive and pro-people message on this critical issue. I thank the organizers once again for inviting me and wish your deliberations all success. Thank you very much.
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