Cautions on use of AI tools, says Jitin Prasada

Union Minister Jitin Prasada on Monday urged caution in the use of AI tools, saying misinformation generated through artificial intelligence has the power to undermine democratic systems. Speaking at a session in the AI Impact Summit here, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology also said artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly enhance learning for students and teachers, but it must not be treated as a shortcut that weakens critical thinking or curiosity.

He underlined that AI cannot replace teachers and its risks in education must be carefully addressed. “If you don’t get into digital literacy, then you have the vulnerability of falling to cyber threats. Cyber security is such a big issue, and AI deep fakes misinformation. And a country like India, which is truly democratic, and elections are happening all around the year, be it at the central level, State or municipality. But if there’s kind of misinformation using AI, it has the power to derail democracies.

“It has the power to change people’s minds in the wrong fashion, and once a decision has been taken, as far as the vote goes, it could be so counterproductive, because you people have voted on false information. So we and the Government have that challenge as well,” he said. Union Minister Jitin Prasada.