Three-Day GPAI Summit concluded today at Bharat Mandapam!

India, the Chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), successfully hosted the GPAI Summit from December 12 – 14, 2023, at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.  Over the past three days, around 30 sessions were organized, which were graced by the global AI experts from GPAI, International Organisations, Industry / Startups, and Academia.  Some of these sessions were held in closed door meetings having delegates and experts of GPAI. Other sessions were held in public and live streamed for the wider participation. More than 22,000 persons attended the summit and out of these 15,000+ AI enthusiasts participated in the summit virtually.

The major outcomes achieved during the GPAI summit are as follows:

1. GPAI New Delhi Declaration built the consensus among GPAI members on advancing safe, secure, and trustworthy AI and commitment to supporting the sustainability of GPAI projects.

2. The Prime Minister’s gave clarion call to work together to prepare a global framework for the ethical use of AI”.

3. India as the main player in the field of AI talent and AI-related ideas was highlighted.

4. India Shines as Global Hub for AI Innovation.

5. India brought together all major initiatives for AI – UN Advisory Group on AI, UK AI Safety Summit – at one event at GPAI New Delhi Summit.

6. AI Research Analytics and Knowledge Dissemination Platform (AIRAWAT) and National Program on Artificial Intelligence and its role in shaping AI ecosystem in India was prominently emphasized.

7. Platform was provided to the research community to showcase their core and applied research.

8. Opportunity was provided to Startup community to showcase their AI products and services in the expo.

9. AI Pitch fest provided an opportunity to upcoming startups to pitch for their innovation and value-added products and services.

10. The summit brought to the fore the multi-stakeholder approach on taking AI among the masses especially among youths and students and highlighted the latest advancements on AI from technology, policy, framework, industrial, ethical, business, and academic perspectives.

The day-wise glimpse of major activities are as follows: –

Glimpse of major activities on Day 1 – December 12, 2023

Inaugural Session

The GPAI summit was inaugurated on December 12, 2023 by Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, in the august presence of Union Minister of Electronics and IT, Railways, and Communications, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw; Union MoS for Electronics and IT, Skill Development, & Entrepreneurship and Jal Shakti, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar; Outgoing chair of GPAI & Vice Minister for Policy Coordination, Internal Affairs and Communications, Mr Hiroshi Yoshida; and Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Shri S Krishnan. The event saw the participation of delegates from 29 member countries & various international organisations namely OECD, UNESCO, ISO, WEF, World Bank, UNDP, Commonwealth etc, GPAI experts, industry and startup veterans, AI practitioners, academicians, students, and officials from Central and State Governments.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister expressed delight in India chairing the GPAI Summit next year at a time when the entire world is debating artificial intelligence. Noting both the positive and negative aspects emerging, the Prime Minister underlined the responsibility enshrined in each nation and recalled interactions with various industry leaders of AI, discussing the GPAI Summit. He stated that AI has had an impact on every country, big or small, and suggested moving forward with caution. The Prime Minister informed about initiative National Program on Artificial Intelligence, AIRAWAT, and the soon-to-be-launched AI Mission, which aims to establish the computing powers of AI. This, the Prime Minister said, will provide better services to startups and innovators in India and also promote AI applications in the sectors of agriculture, healthcare, and education. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the GPAI Summit will prove to be an excellent opportunity for the exchange of ideas and a great learning experience for every delegate, and the outcomes when implemented, will definitely pave the way for building a responsible and sustainable future.

Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, MeitY, Railways & Communications, in his address, shared his thoughts on using technology to serve citizens in native languages, imparting personalized learning experiences to students, rendering healthcare accessible through AI-powered diagnostics, and optimizing yield and resource management via precision agriculture techniques.  In his address, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MoS for E&IT, touched on the insights about India’s strides in the AI sector. He expressed, “India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji’s leadership is all in for emerging technologies and is committed to exploiting AI to ensure advancements in healthcare, agriculture, language translation, and many other real-life use cases, as a natural expansion of an India-DPI framework of solutions.”  Mr Hiroshi Yoshida, Minister of the Outgoing Chair of GPAI, extended heartfelt congratulations to the Government of India for hosting the GPAI Summit and remarked that “AI technology has undergone rapid evolution this year, witnessing remarkable progress and the pervasive proliferation of generative AI across society. Given technology’s universal impact, AI governance necessitates deliberation through a multi-stakeholder approach.” The Prime Minister also took a walk-through of the Global AI Expo, wherein, AI products and services were showcased by 100+ AI Startups.

Panel Discussions and other sessions of day 1 – December 12, 2023

Session titled ‘Applications of AI in Priority Sectors’ focused on the challenges and opportunities in the adoption of AI by industries to enhance competitiveness, explore the market potential of AI, and promote its uptake across sectors. Keynote speakers included Mr. Vijay Shekhar Sharma, CEO of Paytm, and Ms. Nivruti Rai, MD & CEO of Invest India. The session was moderated by Mr. Kazim Rizvi, Founder of The Dialogue, and speakers included Ms. Laila Cremona, Founder & CEO of The Medibay, Mr. Aakrit Vaish, CEO of Haptik AI, Mr. Samir Shah, Executive Vice Chair and Co-Founder of Dvara, Mr. Narayanan Vaidyanathan, Head of Policy Development at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Dr. Shailesh Kumar, Professor at Jio Institute, Mr. Raghu Dharmaraju, CEO of ARTPARK at IISc, and Mr. David Weller, Senior Director of Emerging Technologies, Competitiveness, and Sustainable Policy at Google.

Session on the ‘Responsible AI Working Group’ has experts namely Sophie Fallaha, Executive Director of CEIMIA, Michael O’Sullivan, GPAI Project co-lead for Pandemic Resilience and Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, Amir Banifatemi, GPAI Project co-lead for Scaling Responsible AI Solutions and Co-Founder and Director at AI Commons, Juan David Gutiérrez, GPAI Project co-lead for Sandbox and Associate Professor at Universidad de los Andes, Aditya Mohan, GPAI Project co-lead for the sandbox and National Standards Authority of Ireland, Nicolas Miailhe, GPAI co-lead for RAISE – Founder and President of The Future Society, Lee Tiedrich, GPAI Project co-lead for RAISE – Duke University, Raja Chatila, Professor Emeritus of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and IT Ethics, Sorbonne University, Catherine Regis, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Montreal and Alistair Knott, GPAI Project co-lead for Social Media Governance – University of Victoria.

Sessions on topic Collaborative AI for Global Partnership (CAIGP) – Global Cooperation for Equitable AI & Building Scalable Large Language Models (LLMs) was organised, wherein, distinguished panelists delved into the intricate aspects of establishing a seamless foundation technology for crafting speech recognition tailored for Indian languages. The significance of multicultural training data and multilingual evaluation data was duly underscored. The unswerving commitment to democratizing AI and expanding its accessibility to the widest possible audience remained a paramount priority. In cognizance of the imperative for multilingual models, Bhashini, developed indigenously in India, stands as a testament to inclusivity and is currently being seamlessly integrated across diverse applications within the nation.

Session ‘AI and Global Health: Role of AI In Advancing Healthcare’ featured Dr. Ricardo Baptista Leite, CEO of Health AI, and Dr. VK Paul, Member of NITI Aayog, as keynote speakers. Panellists included Mr. Sameer Kanwar, Director of Digital Health for India & South Asia at PATH, Mr. Girish Raghavan, VP of Engineering at GE Healthcare, Dr. Geetha Manjunath, Founder of Niramai, and Mr. Kiran Anandampillai, CEO and Founder of i-Drishti.

Research symposium, graced by the presence of 17 erudite speakers, conducted profound deliberations on the challenges encountered in the deployment of AI, encompassing concerns such as misuse, threats to research integrity, the complexity of machine learning models, and ethical considerations entailing potential negative impacts on individuals and society. Discussions further probed into nuanced subjects like bias, fairness, privacy, transparency, and accountability. The emergence of responsible AI emerged as a pivotal focus, emphasizing ethical, transparent, and trustworthy AI development.

Glimpse of major activities on Day 2 – December 13, 2023

Session titled “AI Education and Skilling: Bridging the Talent Gap” was graced by luminaries namely Mr. Gokul Subramaniam, Intel India President & Vice President Client Computing Group, and Dr. Mariagrazia Squicciarini, Chief of Executive Office, Social and Human Sciences Sector, UNESCO, serving as keynote speakers, accompanied by 10 other influential voices from organizations like NSDC, EXL, Dell, and NASSCOM. The panels discussed at length the potential of AI through both augmentation and automation. They underscored that education fulfills its purpose only when aligned with the workplace, emphasizing the pivotal role of the National Education Policy (NEP) as a game-changer, introducing flexibility, entry and exit options, and vocational courses from grade 6. Panellists advocated for closer industry-academic collaboration in the education sector and urged for the inclusion of students’ voices in AI panels, as they are the torchbearers of the future.

Session “International AI Regulations: Catalyzing Innovation while ensuring Safety, Trust, and Accountability” featured H.E. Amandeep Singh Gill, Under-Secretary-General, Envoy on Technology, United Nations, as the keynote speaker. Dignitaries from Google, OECD, Microsoft, TechUK, Girl Hype Women Who Code, and the Council of Europe Committee on AI engaged in a dynamic discussion on the Human-Centric Deployment Framework. The urgency to regulate AI within the next six months to address evolving technologies and potential risks echoed through the session.

An AI Pitch Fest was organised, where a distinguished jury evaluated 10 pitches covering diverse topics, including Repositories of public algorithms, Global impact of scalable and safe responsible AI solutions, and AI’s Impact on Latin America’s workers, among others. The pitch fest showcased groundbreaking ideas and also ignited hope for a brighter future driven by the enthusiasm of the younger generation.

A Fireside Chat on the Government’s Vision and Role in ensuring a Safe & Trusted Artificial Intelligence unfolded, featuring Shri. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Hon’ble MoS, Electronics & IT, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti, GoI, Mr. Viscount Camrose, Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property, United Kingdom, and Mr. Hiroshi Yoshida, Vice Minister for Policy Coordination, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan. Moderated by Shri. Sriram Raghavan, Vice President, IBM Research AI, the chat delved into a spectrum of future-related discussions on AI. The panel, emphasized the complexity of computation, stressing that substantial investments are imperative for the research sector. A powerful proposition echoed through the hall—the establishment of a Sandbox environment, contingent upon the bedrock of trust. The conclusion resonated with the conviction that public trust and acceptance of AI act as catalysts, propelling a cascade of advancements in the realm.

Session, ‘Mitigating Social Risks for a Safe and Resilient Society,’ was graced by Ms. Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General (ADG) for Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO, as the keynote speaker. The stage was adorned with eminent professors in the field of AI, including Prof. Joanna Bryson, Professor of Ethics & Technology, Hertie School Centre for Digital Governance, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India, and Prof. David Leslie, Director of Ethics and Responsible Innovation Research at the Alan Turing Institute, alongside other dignitaries. In a riveting exchange, the luminaries dissected the pivotal role of Responsible AI models in preventing adverse outcomes, particularly for marginalized populations. Transcending theory, the deliberations offered actionable strategies to operationalize frameworks. The goal was clear—foster a society resilient to the impact of AI, ensuring safety and inclusivity in the decades to come

Session on Productization and Scaling-up of AI Solutions had an illustrious panel, featuring luminaries such as Dr. Swami Sivasubramanian, Vice President, Data and AI, AWS, and Mr. Sriram Raghavan, Vice President, IBM Research AI. With fervour, the panel explored the untapped potential of generative AI, unravelling strategies to drive innovation, promote education, and accelerate adoption. The discussion ventured into the transformative power of translating AI innovations into solutions for the Global South, with a spotlight on how Large Language Models (LLMs) could bridge the gap in human capacity for serving the needs of underserved communities.

Session on Harnessing the power of Data Responsibly had expert panelists namely, Mr. Amit Agrawal, CEO of UIDAI, professors from France and West Africa, delegates from the US and Singapore, and the brains behind iSpirt Foundation and CivicDataLab gathered for the discussion. They talked about breaking down barriers set up by big data players, sharing data more openly, and working together. They also stressed the need for open talks, stopping unfair contracts, and making sure different services can work together. The conversation also touched on finding the right balance between keeping things in check and letting new ideas grow. They shared ideas on how to bring laws into the world of technology for responsible data use.

29 countries of the GPAI have unanimously adopted the GPAI New Delhi Declaration, which promises to position GPAI at the front and center of shaping the future of AI in terms of both innovation and creating collaborative AI between the partner nations. Countries agreed to create applications of AI in healthcare, agriculture, and many other areas that concern all our countries and all of our people.

Glimpse of major activities on Day 3 – December 13, 2023

Session titled “Data Governance Working Group” featured the co-chair of the working group, Ms. Maja Bogataj Jancic, and GPAI Project leads including Ms. Jhakak Kakkar, Ms. Ching-Yi Liu, Mr. Shameek Kundu, Mr. Thomas Nkoudou, Ms. Alison Gilwald, and Ms. Sophie Fallaha, Executive Director, CEIMIA. Prof. Christiane Wenderhorst and Ms. Kyoko Yoshinaga participated virtually. The panel deliberated on establishing a framework for data justice, bridging the gap between research and practice, and incorporating considerations of social and economic justice in the utilization of data for AI development.

Session on “AI for Climate Action: Accelerating Sustainable Solutions” took place with Mr. Vilas Dhar, Keynote, President and Trustee, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, as the keynote speaker, alongside luminaries from IIT Bombay, UNDP, CivicDataLab, and others. The panel emphasized aligning agriculture with climate change and climate-resilient goals, advocating for localized AI-based solutions in agriculture, and recognizing GPAI’s potential as a convenor to unite experts to address AI and climate-related challenges.

Session on “Generative AI: Issues & Challenges” featured representation from ITIC, Intel, Microsoft, Google, ILO, Professors from the University of Illinois, and the University of Wellington, as well as co-founders of Stealth and Sarvam AI startups. The panel discussed the paramount importance of ethical development in AI advancement, recognizing AI’s transformative potential in healthcare, agriculture, and economic growth. The discussion also highlighted India’s linguistic diversity, emphasizing the need for AI-Language Model Models (LLMs) and the applicability of G7 principles in establishing risk-based AI principles. The positive impacts of Gen AI in healthcare, agriculture, and other sectors were also underscored.

AI Gamechanger awards ceremony was graced by the distinguished jury, including Sh. S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Sh. Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Ms. Inma Martinez, Multistakeholder Expert Group Chair, GPAI, Mr. Howard Lakougna, Senior Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Arpit Agarwal, Partner, Blume Ventures, Ms. Pankaj Thakar, Founder & Chief Mentor, PadUp Ventures, and Mr. Anirudh Suri, Managing Partner, India Internet Fund, recognized and applauded the efforts of 10 shortlisted candidates who demonstrated exemplary Responsible AI solutions, shortlisting 6 for the awards.

Session on “Innovation and Commercialization Working Group” featured 8 I&C experts, namely Kaitlyn Bove, Françoise Soulié, Laurence Liew, Ingo Hoffmann, Lee Tiedrich, Yann Dietrich, Inma Martinez, and Robert Kroplewski. The panel discussed and concluded that innovation and regulation should be considered while designing AI solutions, and intellectual property and contractual terms related to AI should be taken into consideration in designing AI solutions and systems.

Session titled “AI and Intellectual Property: Protecting Innovation” was graced by Hon’ble Justice Pratibha Singh, Judge, High Court of Delhi, as the keynote speaker, alongside 9 distinguished speakers from law firms and law schools. The panellists delved into topics such as DABUS – The device for the autonomous Bootstrapping of unified sentience, copyright and patent of AI creations, the future of AI & IP, and emphasized the careful consideration needed for the implications of AI innovation, especially in generative AI.

Session titled ‘Safe and Trustworthy AI: Adopting Robustness and Security in AI Systems’ was led by Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM, as the keynote speaker and luminaries from MasterCard, CERT-IN, IBM, and others, engaged in an intellectual exchange on how Gen AI can be harnessed to create even more sophisticated defense systems. The discussion covered topics such as identifying threats faster, predicting attack behavior, and automatically deploying countermeasures. The consideration of using AI for securing AI systems also emerged as a significant aspect to ponder. The session delved into the challenge of synergizing conflicting principles in the implementation and deployment of AI.

Session titled ‘AI for All – Bridging the Global AI Divide,’ had Hon. Neema Lugangira, Member of Parliament, Tanzania; Chair, African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance, and Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, as keynote speakers. The digital revolution, particularly with AI, was likened to the industrial revolution, and leveraging history was emphasized as a means to establish a more democratic and equitable decision-making setup. The disparities between regions were acknowledged, emphasizing the need to address them. Creating inclusive environments was deemed vital for obtaining authentic AI data, and the session highlighted that skilled researchers and improved infrastructure are crucial for achieving high-quality outcomes in AI technology

‘Fireside Chat: Government’s Strategy in Supporting a Vibrant Startup Ecosystem for AI’ was held between founders of leading startups in India, namely Karya, Areete, Co-rover, NAYAN Technologies, Qure.ai, Haptik.ai, and Kissan AI. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Pankaj Doval, National Editor, Times of India. The panellists concluded that India’s AI strategy adopts a multifaceted approach aimed at positioning the country as a global leader in artificial intelligence. This approach includes establishing research centers, capacity building, promoting AI literacy, ensuring data interoperability, and developing legal frameworks. The discussion emphasized the importance of building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation. Additionally, it underscored the need to consider intellectual property laws, particularly patent laws, to facilitate innovation and align with the Sustainable Development Goal of building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation

Closing Ceremony

The summit concluded with the closing ceremony, which was graced by Mr. S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India and Mr. Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and President and CEO, National E-Governance Division, Government of India. The context setting was done by Ms. Kavita Bhatia, Group Coordinator & Scientist G, MeitY. Mr. Abhishek Singh, in his address, summarised the activities carried over the last 3 days and stressed on the multi-stakeholder approach on AI. Mr. S. Krishnan, in his addressed, thanked the participants and stressed on the outcomes and utility of the summit for driving AI ecosystem. The winners of AI Gamechangers Awards and YUVAi – Youth for Unnati & Vikas with AI Awards (organised by Intel in partnership with NeGD) were also felicitated during the closing ceremony.

The detailed information on the summit is made available at https://gpaidelhi2023.indiaai.gov.in/ . The portal also features an AI-enabled chatbot for answering visitor queries. The information was also made available on an AI enabled Chatbot on Whatsapp on number +91-9319613105 or on https://wa.me/919319613105?text=Hi.