India Reverses AI Stance, Requires Government Approval For Model Launches (techcrunch.com) 19
An anonymous reader shares a report: India has waded into global AI debate by issuing an advisory that requires "significant" tech firms to get government permission before launching new models. India's Ministry of Electronics and IT issued the advisory to firms on Friday. The advisory -- not published on public domain but a copy of which TechCrunch has reviewed -- also asks tech firms to ensure that their services or products "do not permit any bias or discrimination or threaten the integrity of the electoral process."
Though the ministry admits the advisory is not legally binding, India's IT Deputy Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says the notice is "signalling that this is the future of regulation." He adds: "We are doing it as an advisory today asking you to comply with it." In a tweet Monday, Chandrasekhar said the advisory is aimed at "untested AI platforms deploying on the India internet" and doesn't apply to startups. About-face from India's position on AI a year ago.
Though the ministry admits the advisory is not legally binding, India's IT Deputy Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says the notice is "signalling that this is the future of regulation." He adds: "We are doing it as an advisory today asking you to comply with it." In a tweet Monday, Chandrasekhar said the advisory is aimed at "untested AI platforms deploying on the India internet" and doesn't apply to startups. About-face from India's position on AI a year ago.
What could possibly go wrong? (Score:2)
AI ? What could possibly go wrong?
AI Regulations and limitations ? What could possibly go wrong?
Re:What could possibly go wrong? (Score:5, Interesting)
The Licence Raj [wikipedia.org] strikes again.
India never fails to fail.
Indian-Americans are the most successful ethnicity. Indians do well everywhere in the world ... except in India.
Re: (Score:2)
So how much of the potential upcoming regulation will be to slow down "AI" and how much to slow down AGI?
I find it very doubtful that any major nation outside of perhaps the EU will do anything to slow down AGI research. There is too much to lose for any country fall behind in this research area. The US has shown over the past 50 years what an advantage it received from being a leader in the computer revolution and then the Internet and mobile devices. The IT industry has a significant winner takes all nature to it, so the nation with the best AI companies will likely reap hundreds of billions in revenue based
Re: (Score:1)
This is a view from the top. It's markedly different to the view from the bottom, where you never really had meaningful industry leadership in those fields, which massively amplifies risks, while massively diminishing rewards.
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The previous stance was the shock (Score:4, Insightful)
This position is exactly in line with other policies of India's government on speech, religious freedoms, expressive content and political dissent, so it's not objectively surprising. The only surprise was that they even briefly considered a very low-regulation approach to AI.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
On the opposite side of the narrative and much closer to the subject, India has been trying to get as much of tech companies flight out of PRC by loosening regulations on the sector.
Tightening of regulations goes against this trend.
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What if you passed a law and nobody cared (Score:1, Interesting)
It's a nonbinding "request".
From a third-world country
that is in no way leading anything in AI.
Not news.
Not useful.
But hey, I get 20 emails a day from them offering to redo my website so it can also be a "taxi app" or other such nonsense.
Slasdot on weekends. /smdh
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
It's a nonbinding "request".
TFA says it is a request and also says it is a requirement.
All we know for sure is the journalist who wrote it is an idiot.
Re: What if you passed a law and nobody cared (Score:2)
We also know the Slashdot moderators are idiots
Re:What if you passed a law and nobody cared (Score:4, Informative)
India's IT industry is one of the largest in the world, so announcements for how the country is going to handle regulations of that industry is pretty big news. At least for a site like Slashdot.
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Is it? Sounds more like, "after hours of deliberation, we decided that we like money."
What is the "India internet" ? (Score:3)
"untested AI platforms deploying on the India internet"
As far as I know the Internet is worldwide, so I could post my model on a US server where our Constitution protects free speech, including the right to post whatever message or content I want, and whatever the Indian government says about it doesn't matter - I wouldn't need their approval to post a copy of my AI model.
ahh old British tradition of Red Tape (Score:2)