The recent fiasco by Google’s AI Chatbot, Gemini, where a journalist named Arnab Ray asked Gemini ” Is Modi a fascist?” and it responded that the Indian Prime Minister has “implemented policies some experts have characterised as fascist based upon the Leader’s Hindu nationalist ideology, crackdown on dissent and use of violence against religious minorities” and when asked about other world leaders like Trump and Zelenskyy, it responded with a very generic answer “Whether Trump or Zelenskyy is a fascist or not is a very complex topic….” and this biased response has lit up a debate on the social media whether or not the LLM by Google is biased against eastern nations?
In response to this, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State at Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) INDIA said “This is the violation of Rule 3(1)(b) of IT act and other provisions of the criminal code”. In wake of this fiasco, the Government of India and Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has recently issued an advisory that imposes new guidelines on companies using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI (GenAI) technologies. Let’s look at the detailed analysis of the policy, its impacts on startups and businesses, and the reasons behind its implementation.
Policy Details
MeitY’s advisory, issued on March 1, 2024, delineates stringent guidelines for intermediaries and platforms leveraging AI and GenAI. It mandates adherence to lawful content standards, the mitigation of bias, and the safeguarding of electoral integrity. Additionally, it necessitates government approval for the release of untested AI and GenAI models, with explicit labeling of their limitations. A consent popup mechanism is also stipulated to apprise users of potential AI-generated content fallibility.
Impacts on Startups and Businesses
While the advisory primarily targets significant platforms, startups may find themselves indirectly affected by its regulatory framework. Despite not being directly subject to its provisions, startups could encounter impediments navigating compliance complexities, potentially hindering innovation and growth within the AI sector.
Reasons for Policy
MeitY’s policy issuance stems from mounting concerns surrounding the adverse repercussions of AI and GenAI, encompassing bias, misinformation dissemination, and electoral interference. Moreover, the advisory seeks to shield users from the risks posed by unvetted AI models still in developmental stages.
The social media responds
The MeitY advisory on AI and GenAI has garnered significant attention and responses from various individuals and organizations. Here are some notable reactions:
Bindu Reddy, CEO of Abacus.ai
Bindu Reddy, CEO of Abacus.ai, which uses GenAI to build Applied AI and LLM agents and systems at scale, criticized the advisory, calling it an “insurance policy” for companies that can otherwise be sued by consumers. She expressed concern that the advisory could lead to a “huge drag” on the industry, with companies having to complete forms in triplicate and navigate a dozen hoops for approval.
Pratik Desai, founder of Kissan ai
Pratik Desai said -” I was such a fool thinking I will work bringing GenAI to Indian Agriculture from SF. We were training multimodal low cost pest and disease model, and so excited about it. This is terrible and demotivating after working 4yrs full time brining AI to this domain in India.”
Petro Domingos, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Washington
Petro Domingos, a professor of computer science at the University of Washington, commented on the advisory, saying that the Indian government is taking the lead in the race to the “stupidity singularity”.
Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity
Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, which has built an answer engine powered by AI, expressed disappointment with the advisory, calling it a “bad move” by India.
Google’s Response to the Gemini AI Gaffe
Google has apologized over the whole fiasco and said that the platform is still unreliable and they are working on improving LLM’s. Additionally, Google recently halted people image generation feature in Gemini due to some racial bias in the output images.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, clarified that the advisory is aimed at significant platforms and permission seeking from MeitY is only for large platforms, not startups2. He also stated that the advisory is aimed at untested AI platforms from deploying on the Indian Internet and that the process of seeking permission, labelling, and consent-based disclosure to users about untested platforms is an “insurance policy” to platforms that can otherwise be sued by consumers2.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology
Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, spoke at an event, saying that such biases would not be tolerated.
Conclusion
The MeitY advisory heralds a paradigm shift in India’s regulatory stance toward AI and GenAI technologies. While its overarching goal is to mitigate potential societal harms, its implementation may introduce novel challenges for startups and businesses operating in the sector. The efficacy and lasting impact of the advisory hinge on its enforcement and its capacity to foster a culture of responsible AI usage and innovation across India.