India to regulate AI platforms like ChatGPT

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

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

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

Sharing 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, and the bias of algorithms. There are many concerns. This is a vast field.”

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

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

Google is countering ChatGPT with its own generative AI tool, Bard. Tools such as ChatGPT that return more real-world intelligent responses instead of just a catalogue of internet links have been a stiff competitor for Google’s ubiquitous search engine.

“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 said earlier this year.

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

To govern smart technology, European regulators are already looking to create laws, and so is the US. OpenAI (which makes ChatGPT) CEO Sam Altman said on Tuesday that government intervention “will be critical to mitigate the 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. CIO News