Indian government looking at regulation for AI platforms like ChatGPT: Ashwini Vaishnaw

The government said it is considering a regulatory framework for AI-enabled smart tech platforms, such as ChatGPT, including areas related to bias of algorithms and copyrights. And, any law that will be framed will be drafted in conjunction with other like-minded nations, it added.

Communications and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said growing influence of AI platforms is being looked into by various countries, and thus a framework needs to be developed after international deliberations.

“The whole world is looking at what should be the framework, and what should be the regulatory setup. In G7, all digital ministers (of G7 countries) are seriously concerned about what should be the regulatory framework. So, this is a global thing. This is not one country’s issue. This has to be looked at from the international perspective,” Vaishnaw told TOI, adding ideas will continue to be exchanged among various countries.

Asked about the concerns arising around AI chat platforms, such as ChatGPT, which use ‘Generative AI’ tools and give human-like intelligent responses within seconds, the minister said, “There are concerns around IPR, copyright, bias of algorithm. There are many concerns. This is a vast field.”

On whether the subject would require a separate regulation, Vaishnaw said it would flow into that direction. “Ultimately, as I said, all the countries will have to come up with some co-operative framework.”

ChatGPT, created by startup OpenAI, began services late last year and mopped up over a million users in just five days of its launch. Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in the company. Microsoft has also integrated the technology into its own products, including search giant Bing.

Google, whose ubiquitous search engine faces a stiff competition from tools such as ChatGPT that returns more real-world intelligent responses, instead of just a catalogue of internet links, is countering ChatGPT with its own generative AI tool Bard.

“Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of our large language models. It draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai had said earlier this year.

However, regulators around the world are concerned by the growing popularity, acceptance and use of such technologies as they may have the ability to mislead people, spread false and fake news, violate copyright laws, and even extinguish millions of jobs.

European regulators are already looking to create laws to govern the smart technology and so is the US. On Tuesday, OpenAI (which makes ChatGPT) CEO Sam Altman told Congress that government intervention “will be critical to mitigate risks of increasingly powerful” AI systems. “As this technology advances, we understand that people are anxious about how it could change the way we live. We are too,” Altman testified at a Senate hearing.