Altman Meets PM Modi, Regulation, Risks, Potential for AI in India Discussed
OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi today. The OpenAI CEO expressed his satisfaction with the meeting he had and praised PM Modi’s enthusiasm and thoughtful understanding of Artificial Intelligence. The meeting holds significance as India is in the process of regulating AI through the upcoming Digital Indian Bill, which will replace the Information Technology Act. During the Digital India Dialogues event, Altman answered questions and praised the PM’s thoughtful understanding of AI and its benefits. “It was great. It was really fun. He was so enthusiastic, really thoughtful about AI, and the benefits of it. We asked why India has embraced ChatGPT so much and so early. It’s really been fun for us to watch. He had great answers about that,” Altman said, as per media reports. Altman also tweeted about the meeting, “great conversation with @narendramodi discussing India’s incredible tech ecosystem and how the country can benefit from ai.” Altman further mentioned that they discussed the potential opportunities for AI in India and the importance of regulation. They also touched upon the need for global regulations to mitigate potential negative consequences. Altman described the meeting as a productive hour of conversation. “We talked about the opportunities in front of the country, what the country should do, also the need to think about global regulation to make sure we prevent some of the downsides from happening — but it was a great hour,” the OpenAI CEO said. It’s noteworthy that at the AWS India Summit, it was disclosed that the Indian government is actively exploring the applications of generative AI, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, for government services and administrative tasks. Many government officials were also present at the event organised by Economic Times and they posed pertinent questions to Altman about usage for administrative purposes amongst other things. It’s not far fetched to say that the possible adoption of AI in administrative work may have been a point of discussion. Altman has a packed schedule during his visit to India, including meetings with government officials and discussions regarding India’s flagship India AI program, among other topics. Altman had previously suggested the establishment of an international authority to regulate advanced AI. However, Minister of State for Information and Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, expressed a different viewpoint. “Sam Altman is obviously a smart man. He has his own ideas about how AI should be regulated. We certainly think we have some smart brains in India as well, and we have our own views on how AI should have guardrails,” Chandrasekhar had said. Chandrasekhar stated that while he supports the idea of a United Nations of AI, India will continue to prioritise the safety and trustworthiness of its digital citizens. “If there is eventually a United Nations of AI – as Sam Altman wants – more power to it. But that does not stop us from doing what is right for our digital citizens and keeping the internet safe and trusted,” the minister added. Altman’s visit to India is part of his broader trip to to interact with OpenAI users, developers, and individuals interested in artificial intelligence. The world tour which Altman announced on twitter himself is set to cover 16 cities across five continents, including Toronto, Washington DC, Rio de Janeiro, Lagos, Madrid, Brussels, Munich, London, Paris, Tel Aviv, Dubai, New Delhi, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo. Altman plans to not only meet with OpenAI users and developers but also give talks in some cities and engage with policymakers. Altmans World Tour and Japan Altman previously paid a visit to Japan and held a meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss the potential of artificial intelligence and OpenAI’s plans to establish an office in Japan. Altman expressed his interest in collaborating with Japanese talent and improving their AI models specifically for the Japanese language and culture. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno stated that Japan is considering adopting AI technology, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, after addressing privacy and cybersecurity concerns. Matsuno acknowledged the actions taken by other countries, such as Italy’s ban on ChatGPT due to data privacy concerns, and mentioned that Japan is aware of these developments. The Japanese government aims to evaluate the use of AI to reduce the workload of government employees while ensuring the security of sensitive information. Despite these challenges, Altman’s meeting with Prime Minister Kishida and the government’s interest in AI adoption demonstrate Japan’s willingness to explore the potential benefits of AI while addressing associated risks and concerns. Japan has also started using OpenAI’s ChatGPT in administrative work, Yokosuka city in Japan’s Kanagawa became the first city to do so. Around 4,000 employees of the municipal government office participated in a month-long trial to enhance operations. Yokosuka aims to leverage AI tools like ChatGPT to address administrative challenges and optimise human resources for tasks that require personal interaction.
Minister of State for Information and Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated that while he supports the idea of a United Nations of AI, India will continue to prioritise the safety and trustworthiness of its digital citizens.
Minister of State for Information and Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated that while he supports the idea of a United Nations of AI, India will continue to prioritise the safety and trustworthiness of its digital citizens.
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Shyam is a tech journalist with expertise in policy and politics, and exhibits a fervent interest in scrutinising the convergence of AI and analytics in society. In his leisure time, he indulges in anime binges and mountain hikes.