1y ago

India reverses AI stance, requires government approval for model launches | TechCrunch

techcrunch.com

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India's government has been authoritarian lately, given their alleged request to remove tweets that are critical of them from Twitter, so this is worrying.
- From human rights watch
  "The Indian government led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) escalated its crackdown on civil society and the media. Authorities prosecute activists, journalists, peaceful protesters, and other critics on fabricated counterterrorism and hate speech laws. They have shut down rights groups using foreign funding regulations or unfounded allegations of financial irregularities. The government has adopted laws and policies that discriminate against religious minorities, especially Muslims. This, coupled with vilification of Muslims and other minorities by some BJP leaders, and the police failure to act against government supporters who commit violence, has emboldened Hindu nationalist groups to target members of minority communities or civil society groups with impunity."
Nothing to see here, just some old farts thinking they know what are even talking about
- Meanwhile, I'm happy to trust the future to our young technocrat overlords, they have our best interests at heart.
It seeks compliance with “immediate effect” and asks tech firms to submit “Action Taken-cum-Status Report” to the ministry within 15 days.
heh
This is the best summary I could come up with:
India has waded into global AI debate by issuing an advisory that requires “significant” tech firms to get government permission before launching new models.
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.”
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.
Less than a year ago, the ministry had declined to regulate AI growth, instead identifying the sector as vital to India’s strategic interests.
“I was such a fool thinking I will work bringing GenAI to Indian agriculture from SF,” wrote Pratik Desai, founder of startup Kisan AI.
Non-compliance with the provisions of the IT Act and IT Rules would result in “potential penal consequences to the intermediaries or platforms or its users when identified,” the advisory adds.
The original article contains 516 words, the summary contains 168 words. Saved 67%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
I read the article but still can't wrap my head over what exactly the provisions are. The ministry itself says that the advisory is not legally binding as of now.
Further down, it says
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.
I know it started after Google's Gemini reportedly called the Prime Minister a fascist, well answered, which might have triggered it. But how are they distinguishing tested vs untested AI platforms and what about the startup exclusion thing?
"India internet"
What does this even mean?

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