As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply integrated into everyday life, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has called for stronger regulation, clear safeguards and wider public access to the technology. He said AI’s growing influence makes it necessary to discuss responsibility, safety and the impact of its applications on society.
Speaking with John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, on Tuesday, Jaishankar said AI has few parallels with earlier technologies, including nuclear technology, because of its widespread reach.
“It’s hard to find a parallel paradigm to what we are confronting with AI. The nuclear one is one which people often use, but here’s the difference. In the case of nuclear technology, yes, it was regulated, but remember, there were very limited users of nuclear technology… AI is, in that sense, the mother of all technologies. It’s going to be far more pervasive. It is going to be far more impactful on our everyday life. It’s something in which everybody will have a stake,” he said.
Jaishankar said current discussions often centre on technology companies, computing power, chips, energy, water and funding. However, he stressed that greater attention must be given to how AI will be used and how its applications will affect people.
“Here’s the issue. It is again like any technology which is emerging: the focus is on the immediate, the technology leaders. Then it becomes an argument about compute, about chips, about energy, even about water, about funding, about financing it. But at the end of the day, you’re going to apply it to people. Where will the use cases be? Where will the applications arise, and what will they be? And what will be the consequences?” he said.
He also raised concerns about AI’s potential impact on politics and the credibility of democratic processes.
Jaishankar said India broadly supports regulation, safeguards and a more serious debate on responsibility. He also called for making AI accessible and ensuring people benefit from it without being entirely dependent on forces beyond their control.
Referring to India’s digital governance efforts, he highlighted the AI Impact Summit held in New Delhi in February. Speaking at the Munich Leaders Meeting in October, he described India’s approach as one focused on social equity and public welfare.
“People perceive AI also as something which must become accessible, affordable, and used for a certain socio-economic purpose. It is a sort of AI for humanity; develop user cases which are relatable to people’s needs. That is the kind of vision that we have.”
He added, “This is too major an issue to leave it to the market, so to speak.”
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