PM Modi and Bill Gates discuss AI challenges, deepfakes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday listed the challenges of Artificial Intelligence as he discussed the future of the technology with Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, noting that he too had been on the receiving end of deepfakes.

Gates, while discussing AI, said one was “surprised at how good this is and you are also surprised at how bad it is”.

“It will do things you think are hard and then will fail to do some things you feel are easy. I started my trip from Hyderabad which was a nice occasion because Microsoft is celebrating 25 years in the country and that has been such a fantastic experience. So I was challenging the team there that we have to make the accuracy better. For now, AI is a co-pilot that helps suggest things but the final decision about medicines, about writing letters etc rests with us. It seems AI is a huge opportunity but there are several challenges that come with that,” he said, posing a question to the prime minister: “How do you think India will approach that?”

“I have observed that without proper training, there’s a significant risk of misuse if such a powerful technology is placed in unskilled hands,” PM Modi said.

He added: “I have engaged with leading minds in AI. I suggested that we should start with a clear watermark on AI-generated content to prevent misinformation. This isn’t to devalue AI creations but to recognise them for what they are. In a vast democratic country like India, anyone can misuse deepfake technology… For example, if they misuse my voice… initially people will believe it, leading to widespread uproar.

“It’s crucial to acknowledge that deepfake is AI-generated and mention its source. These measures are really important, especially in the initial days. We need to establish some do’s and don’ts. Moreover, one should first engage AI within a field of expertise. Simply using it because one is tired or over-utilising it is not the best approach. If I fail to make decisions and risk merely entertaining myself with the technology, then rather than utilising it for meaningful value addition, it would be just a way to pass time.”

This is not the first time the prime minister has brought attention to deepfakes. Speaking at a BJP Diwali event last year, PM Modi revealed that he had asked the ChatGpt team to flag deepfakes and put out a warning when such videos were circulated online.

The Prime Minister illustrated his point by citing a deepfake video of him doing Garba, a festival dance of Gujarat that is popular across the country. “I recently saw a video in which I was seen playing Garba. I have not done Garba since school,” he shared.

“There are many other such videos online,” said PM Modi, addressing journalists at the Diwali Milan programme at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. The Prime Minister also urged the media to educate people on such fake videos.

In a lighter vein, while discussing Artificial Intelligence, the prime minister said: “AI is very important. In our country, we call mothers ‘aai’ in many states and languages. Sometimes I jokingly say that now when a child is born in India, he says ‘aai’ and ‘AI’.”

Meanwhile, praising India’s quick adoption of AI across fields, Gates said: “I think the key point is that the digital infrastructure keeps getting richer. A lot of people know about the identity system and the payment systems… But as you are moving into the different areas for farmers, registering their land, tutoring for kids and the health records, that’s kind of a second phase.And we are just at the beginning now of the third phase where these advances in artificial intelligence will come on top of that and make the value even better.” News18