India should place equal emphasis on building and sustaining public trust on AI

PADMA JAISWAL, IAS,
SECRETARY, GNCTD - GOVT. OF DELHI

“Over the past decade, the government has actively advanced e-governance and driven digital transformation in public service delivery. This shift has led to the significant accumulation of data within government systems. At the same time, the country has developed extensive digital public infrastructure, including platforms such as Aadhaar, DigiLocker, and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), along with supporting digital networks. The rollout and widespread adoption of this digital public infrastructure have positioned the nation where it now engages in substantial discussions around artificial intelligence. Globally as well, the country has already gained considerable traction and recognition in the AI space. We often speak about the scale and speed of AI, and we are understandably impressed by how rapidly it is transforming service delivery and enabling better outcomes for citizens. But are we giving equal attention to trust? Are we considering the level of confidence citizens place in these AI-driven systems? Numerous incidents have occurred where malicious actors misused technology, leading to phishing attacks, ransomware incidents, and other forms of cybercrime. Such events have gradually eroded trust in digital networks and in the systems operated by both government and the private sector.

Amid all these things, the government has introduced the DPDP Act. It is also discussing sovereign AI. When discussing sovereign AI, we are talking about data ownership—the data for which I am the Principal and for which I am responsible. I will know how to manage it and I will be the one to give permission to the person holding my data in a fiduciary capacity, or for that matter, determine how long they can keep this data.”