The Digital India Act is much awaited; here's what the world is planning around AI

India awaits the Digital India Act, which is aimed at regulating and utilising the best of techs like quantum computing and Artificial Intelligence. According to experts, the proposed act at present stands as the most significant piece of legislation, with far-reaching implications for India's tech landscape. 

"The act will come very soon. Unfortunately, I accept that we have delayed by about a month. I assure you that this successor act to the IT Act will be soon placed for detailed discussion before the people," Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for  Electronics and IT told media last Friday.

What does the Industry Experts expect?

"A pivotal act will tackle a wide range of crucial subjects, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybercrime, data protection, deep fakes, competition concerns related to internet platforms, and online security," Kapil Kapoor, CPO & CTO, CredAble told Republic.

Experts have warned about the consequences of delay in AI regulations as the spread of misinformation and privacy violations will surge. The companies operating in India should also engage in taking responsibility and accountability to lessen the risk to humanity and society.

"With the rise of AI and quantum computing technologies, we believe that a regulatory framework that is designed to be capable of responding to newer and unknown challenges is crucial. Digital India Bill may help align innovators in their use of resources," Roland Landers, CEO, All India Gaming Federation told Republic.

Digital India Bill presentation in Bengaluru on March 9. | Image Credit: Press Information Bureau
    
Digital India Bill will work towards accounting for the various changes and digital innovations that have taken place since the introduction of the Information Technology Act, 2000.  It not only forms the basis for future tech-related regulations but also serves as a cornerstone for Digital India's Goals. 

Here are the latest steps International governing bodies are taking to regulate AI tools

Australia

At present, the Australian government seeks inputs on regulations and has started consulting science advisory body for the steps ahead. 

United Kingdom

The UK is in the stages of planning regulation, the Financial Conduct Authority is consulting with the Alan Turing Institute and other legal and academic institutions to improve its understanding of the technology. 

China

The Chinese government is at present planning regulations. China's cyberspace regulator in April unveiled draft measures to manage generative AI services, saying it wanted firms to submit security assessments to authorities before they launch offerings to the public.

European Union (EU)

EU lawmakers agreed in June to changes in a draft of the bloc's AI Act. The lawmakers will now have to thrash out details with EU countries before the draft rules become legislation. 

France

France's privacy watchdog CNIL was investigating several complaints about ChatGPT after the chatbox was temporarily banned in Italy over a suspected breach of privacy rules.

G7 (Group of Seven)

The seven-country intergovernmental political forum's meeting in May acknowledged the need for governance of AI and immersive technologies and agreed to have ministers discuss the technology as the "Hiroshima AI process" and report results by the end of 2023. G7 nations should adopt "risk-based" regulations on AI.

Ireland

Ireland's data protection chief has said that Generative AI needs to be regulated, but governing bodies must work out how to do so properly before rushing into prohibitions that aren't going to stand up.

Israel

Israel has been working on AI regulations for the last 18 months. Israel published a 115-page draft AI policy in October and is collating public feedback ahead of a final decision.

Italy

Italy's data protection authority plans to review other artificial intelligence platforms and hire AI experts. ChatGPT became available again to users in Italy in April after being temporarily banned in March.

Japan

Japan expects to introduce regulations by the end of 2023. It looks to technology to boost economic growth and make it a leader in advanced chips. The country's privacy watchdog has warned OpenAI not to collect sensitive data without people's permission.

Spain

Spain's data protection agency has also asked the EU's privacy watchdog to evaluate privacy concerns surrounding ChatGPT.

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in June backed a proposal by some AI executives for the creation of an AI watchdog like the International Atomic Energy Agency but noted that only member states can create it, not the Secretariat of the United Nations. 

United States of America

Senator Michael Bennet wrote to leading tech firms to label AI-generated content and limit the spread of material aimed at misleading users. He introduced a bill in April to create a task force to look at US policies on AI. The National Institute of Standards and Technology will launch a public working group of expert volunteers on generative AI to help address its opportunities and develop guidance to confront its risk.

(With inputs from Reuters)