PM Modi Raises Concerns Over Deepfakes, Calls For Global Regulation Of AI

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Wednesday (November 22) urged world leaders to work together to formulate policies for global regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) to curb the growing menace of deepfakes.

In his inaugural statement at the virtual G20 summit, PM Modi termed deepfakes dangerous for society and called for using technologies such as AI in a responsible manner. He also added that AI ought to reach the people and should be safe for society. 

“… There is increasing concern about the negative use of AI all over the world. India has a clear thinking that we should work together on the global regulation of AI. We should move forward on this aspect after understanding the seriousness of deepfakes and how dangerous they can be for the society and the individual,” said PM Modi. 

Meanwhile, union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reportedly convened a meeting with representatives of social media platforms over the issue of deepfakes on November 23. Sources told news agency PTI that Vaishnaw will chair the meeting and deliberate on the issue. 

The back-to-back statements on a single day come days after a series of deepfakes targeting several actors, including Rashmika Mandanna and Katrina Kaif, went viral online. The deepfakes led to an online outrage as netizens flagged concerns over the misuse of emerging technologies such as generative AI for creating synthetic content online.

Following this, the union government warned social media platforms that they may lose safe harbour protections for failing to curb the spread of such fake content. MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar also said that platforms are obligated to remove deepfake content within 36 hours. 

Last week, Vaishnaw also said that social media companies have to be more aggressive in taking action on such content, adding that the platforms should make adequate efforts for preventing deepfakes and cleaning up their system.

Prior to that, PM Modi also cautioned against such fake content, saying deepfakes could lead to a big crisis and stoke discontent in society. He also urged the media to raise awareness about the misuse of the technology and educate people. 

PM Modi Bats For Global South 

Meanwhile, in his inaugural address at the G20 summit on Wednesday, PM Modi also said that the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) repository, announced at the New Delhi G20 Summit earlier this year, is ready. 

Batting for the ‘Global South’, PM Modi said that more than 50 DPIs spanning 16 countries have been added to the repository. In a major announcement, he also proposed setting up a social impact fund to implement digital public goods in the countries of the Global South. 

He also announced an initial contribution of $25 Mn for the fund and urged fellow G20 members to join the initiative.

The Global South encompasses countries that are developing, less developed, or underdeveloped. A major chunk of these nations are primarily located in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The Indian government has been fervently pitching for DPI. The G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration sought the building of a framework for development, deployment and governance of DPI. The declaration also asserted that a safe, accountable and inclusive DPI can foster resilience and enable service delivery and innovation.