New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sought to allay fears that AI will displace workers, arguing that the technology will expand, not shrink, employment opportunities, even as he pitched a global framework to make AI open, accountable and inclusive.
Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit, the PM said apprehensions around job losses echo early anxieties about the internet. “Decades ago, when the internet began, no one imagined how many jobs it would create. The same is true for AI,” he said, adding that the future of work will depend on how governments and industry shape the technology. He maintained that AI would make work “smarter, more efficient, and more impactful”, enabling higher-value and more creative roles, while calling for large-scale skilling and reskilling efforts.
PM Modi used the platform to advocate the democratisation of AI, particularly for countries in the Global South. He cautioned against treating AI as a guarded geopolitical asset. “Some countries and companies believe AI is a ‘strategic asset’ and must be developed confidentially. But India thinks differently,” he said. “We believe AI will benefit the world only when it is shared.”
Framing AI as a transformative moment in human history, comparable in significance to earlier technological breakthroughs, the PM stressed that outcomes would hinge on governance choices. If left unguided, he cautioned, AI could prove disruptive; if steered responsibly, it could unlock solutions at scale. He underscored that systems must remain human-centric and should not reduce individuals to “mere data points”.
The PM also outlined India’s proposed ‘MANAV’ framework for responsible AI, built around ethical design, accountable oversight, data sovereignty, inclusivity, and legal validity. The approach, he said, aims to ensure that AI functions as a public good and a force multiplier rather than a tool of concentration.
Calling for international standards, he flagged risks from deepfakes and synthetic media, suggesting authenticity markers and watermarking norms for AI-generated content. Trust, he said, must be embedded at the design stage.
Highlighting India’s preparedness, the PM pointed to investments spanning semiconductors, chip fabrication, quantum computing, secure data infrastructure and a vibrant startup ecosystem. With delegates from more than 100 countries attending the summit, Modi positioned India as a scalable and cost-effective base for AI innovation, urging global stakeholders to collaborate in building solutions for worldwide deployment.