IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that Artificial intelligence (AI) has massive potential to generate development and India is well-poised to tap into the opportunity with its large pool of skilled professionals. He also said the proposed data protection legislation will give a big fillip to the country's data economy.
Prasad has stated that AI would become meaningful only when it brings in a palpable improvement in the quality of life of ordinary Indians. He said ‘technology keeps on evolving... we welcome AI because it has enormous potential to generate development and also bring in further equity and delivery...We also want AI to further promote that inclusive character of development.’
Stating that Indian IT companies are globally competitive, the minister exuded confidence that the country's large pool of skilled professionals would help manage not only India's AI ecosystem but also that of the world. He cited the examples of Ayushman Bharat, GST and direct benefit transfer (DBT) to highlight how the government has used technology to deliver public services. He added that the bill -- expected to be passed by Parliament soon -- is an amalgamation of efforts to ensure data privacy, safety, security as well as data innovation.