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Source: This post on international AI Regulation has been created based on the article “AI Summit: Why new global pact on tackling Artificial Intelligence risks is a big deal” published in The Indian Express on 3rd November 2023.
UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 Science and Technology – Developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
News: This article discusses the various kinds of risks associated with Frontier AI and the international regulatory mechanisms being put in place by various countries. It also analyses India’s policy stance on AI.
Recently, 28 major countries met at Bletchley Park in the UK for the world’s first ever Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit and agreed to collaborate to minimize risks from ‘Frontier AI’.
These 28 countries included the United States, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and India, and the European Union.
Read in detail about the Bletchley Park Declaration here.
What is Frontier AI?
“Frontier AI” is defined as highly capable foundation generative AI models that could possess dangerous capabilities that can pose severe risks to public safety.
For example, Biometric Authentication, Automation, etc.
What are the challenges posed due to Frontier AI?
Frontier AI models pose a distinct regulatory challenge:
1) Inability to Predict Outcomes: Dangerous capabilities can arise unexpectedly. According to various tech industry leaders, AI labs are in an uncontrolled race to develop systems that no one can fully control.
2) Misuse: It is difficult to robustly prevent a deployed model from being misused.
3) Proliferation: It is difficult to stop a model’s capabilities from proliferating broadly.
4) There are also concerns regarding: privacy, system bias, and violation of intellectual property rights.
For more information of the impact of AI on IPR, read this.
What are the approaches on AI taken by different countries?
The policy response has varied across countries. For instance:
1) EU: The EU has taken a tough approach, proposing to bring in a new AI Act that classifies artificial intelligence according to use-case scenarios, based broadly on the degree of invasiveness and risk.
2) UK: The UK is at the other end of the spectrum, with a “light-touch” approach that aims to foster, and not stop innovation in this field.
3) USA: The US approach is seen to be somewhere in between. It is planning on defining an AI regulation rulebook ultimately becoming an AI ‘Bill of Rights’.
For instance, a new rule seeks to codify the use of watermarks that alert consumers to a product enabled by AI, which could potentially limit the threat posed by deepfakes.
What is India’s stance on AI and AI regulation?
As per the Union Minister of State for IT, India’s stance on AI includes the following:
1) India looks at AI and technology, in general, through the prism of openness, safety, trust and accountability. AI represents a big opportunity.
2) India believes that steps should be taken to ensure AI safety and trust. For instance, the Hon’ble Prime Minister had called for a global framework on the expansion of “ethical” AI tools.
3) India also maintains that steps should be taken to mitigate the downsides of AI or any emerging technology. India’s position is of actively formulating regulations based on a “risk-based, user-harm” approach.
4) As per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Centre should set up a domestic statutory authority to regulate AI in India.
5) The NITI Aayog has also published papers on Responsible AI for All.
However, the government is not considering bringing a law or regulating the growth of artificial intelligence in the country, according to the Union Minister of IT.
Terminology used:
Red teaming: In cybersecurity, “red teaming” refers to the practice of emulating real-world adversaries and their tools, tactics, and procedures to identify risks, uncover blind spots, validate assumptions, and improve the overall security posture of systems.
Question for practice:
What is ‘Frontier AI’? What are the risks associated with its adoption by humanity? How are countries dealing with these challenges?
