India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, has issued a powerful call for comprehensive regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), asserting that it represents the most impactful technological advancement humanity has ever faced. Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, Jaishankar declared AI to be the “mother of all technologies,” a distinction he argues sets it apart even from nuclear technology due to its pervasive and everyday influence on human life.
AI's Unprecedented Pervasiveness
During his interaction with Bloomberg’s Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait, Jaishankar drew a sharp contrast between AI and previous technological breakthroughs. While nuclear technology, though regulated, had a limited user base, AI is poised to touch every aspect of daily existence, making its oversight critical.
“It's hard to find a parallel paradigm to what we are confronting with AI,” Jaishankar stated. “The nuclear one is one which people often use, but here's the difference. In the case of nuclear technology, yes, it was regulated, but remember, there were very limited users of nuclear technology... AI is, in that sense, the mother of all technologies. It's going to be far more pervasive. It is going to be far more impactful on our everyday life. It's something in which everybody will have a stake.”
The minister stressed that this widespread impact necessitates a greater focus on how AI will be applied in daily life and its direct consequences for individuals.
A Call for People-Centric Regulation and Accountability
Jaishankar urged for a people-centric approach to AI development, coupled with robust guardrails to prevent its misuse. He highlighted a strong consensus within India regarding the necessity of rules, safeguards, and clear accountability mechanisms for AI.
He also critically observed that the current discourse among AI companies and technology leaders often prioritizes the development of powerful computing infrastructure, semiconductor chips, and the financial investment required, rather than the ethical implications and human impact. “The focus is on the immediate, the technology leaders. Then it becomes an argument about compute, about chips, about energy, even about water, about funding, about financing it,” he noted. “But at the end of the day, you're going to apply it to people.”
The External Affairs Minister concluded by reiterating the widespread agreement in India for AI regulation and a more serious debate about responsibility in its ongoing evolution.