Create AI commission for Uttar Pradesh: BJP MLA to CM Adityanath

Lucknow: A BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Monday and handed over a letter calling for the establishment of a full-time commission to regulate, govern and monitor the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

This will benefit the people of the state, which has an 'ever-rising' population and 'high rate' of illiteracy, said Rajeshwar Singh, legislator from the Sarojini Nagar assembly seat.

"The state of Uttar Pradesh with its robust infrastructure and ever-rising population and high rate of illiteracy is in dire need of a commission that regulates and governs the use of AI in the state."

"Taking the cue from the initiatives of government in the US, EU, UK and China, the state of UP should set up a commission headed by the principal secretary and special secretary (IT) and should pioneer the efforts of regulating AI in the country," Singh, a former Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer, said in his letter.

Currently, Singh said, no other state in India has implemented any guidelines or policy measures to regulate the use of AI.

"A comprehensive legislation governing AI is going to come into force inevitably, but until the lawmakers come up with a framework, it is the responsibility of the government to protect the citizens against the dangers of AI and to educate them to use AI in a manner that is beneficial to the society," he wrote.

AI, as per a definition notified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is a machine-driven system engineered to function with differing degrees of autonomy and it has the capacity to generate forecasts, suggest a course of action or render decisions that impact real or virtual environments.

"Due to the lack of a comprehensive framework governing AI in the country and limited knowledge on how advanced AI systems operate, the average Internet user is prone to cyberattacks by criminals whose identities remain unknown."

"The risks posed by adverse use of AI have far-reaching effects and are likely to infringe on an individual's rights," the MLA said.

Singh said it is estimated by experts that India's AI industry is estimated to reach Rs 17 billion by the year 2027 and that the country had the highest skills penetration with three-time more AI-skilled talent than any other country.

"However, despite the massive and widespread scope of application of AI in different sectors such as law and order, infrastructure and development, healthcare and medicine, disaster management, environmental protection and public welfare, there is presently no legislation governing AI in India," Singh wrote.

He added that the Union government and the UP government have taken some steps to foster the growth of AI in the country and these measures need to be further enhanced.