As leaders across the globe race towards AI dominance, we, the young people of India, want them to pause and think: given that we will inherit an AI-first world, shouldn’t we be a critical part of building the nation’s AI Futures?
The dream of becoming an AI-first Viksit Bharat@2047 will be brought to life by us. We will be the ones to build it, followed by future generations. Piece by piece. And yet, we are not being included in the decisions about India’s AI vision. India remains one of the most unequal countries when it comes to addressing fundamental human needs. The impetus on adopting a new technology at such a rapid pace will inadvertently result in deepening the inequalities that already exist. The majority of the country is still not digitally literate. In light of this, the proliferation of AI is creating a population that is uncritically consuming whatever is fed to them. AI is fast becoming a tool to amplify hatred and misinformation against vulnerable groups.
The educational inequality in our country undermines our ambitions of becoming an ‘AI-first’ nation. India AI Mission initiatives on AI adoption and skill development are currently only reaching the privileged few. Most young people today are afraid and uncertain about how to navigate their careers, given the rapid pace of technological change and the lack of clear guidance about the future. We do not want to remain trapped in low-skilled AI roles.
The current, unbridled hype around AI has put Generative AI platforms in the hands of every young person. Governments and private companies are aggressively pushing for its adoption across different sectors. AI is already becoming a part of our everyday lives, but are the young empowered enough to understand it? To critically engage with it? In reality, we haven’t yet opened the hood.
AI, as a field, is expanding into multiple sectors at a rapid pace, even though we know that AI can hallucinate, make mistakes, and produce biased outcomes. If AI companies remain driven purely by profit and self-interest, they will ignore the social and environmental harms their technologies can cause.
The decisions about AI are being made behind closed doors, decisions that will affect our lives and our collective futures, and we are being kept out of these decisions. We are expected to uncritically accept whatever changes AI brings to our realities. We are expected to reskill, find ways to make ourselves relevant, and neatly fit into a vision of the future created by someone else.
The following are our concerns and the corresponding shifts we want in our approach to building AI in India. Instead of subscribing to an innovation-at-all-costs mindset, we want India to embrace emerging technologies with a care-centric mindset to ensure we are building ethical and equitable futures.
We call upon governments, companies, non-profit organizations, researchers/scholars and anyone with decision-making powers to engage with us, and make us a part of this journey!
Leaders are focusing on AI creating new jobs that don’t yet exist whereas AI is already creating, replacing, or changing jobs that are not being scrutinized critically. We shouldn’t just think about a grand future. We should think equally about the present - the people who are making AI today, the labor involved. There are complex AI supply chains, a long supply chain of AI spread across the globe, that are mostly invisible, unacknowledged, and undignified. For instance, data labeling workers are battling with mental health issues due to exposure to extreme, violent, and graphic content.
We worry that we will become these invisible workers in the future. If AI workers do not receive dignity, they will not feel happy about Viksit Bharat.
Education inequality undermines our ambitions of becoming an AI-first country. Young people are still spending years learning courses with outdated curricula. We worry that AI will replace us or make our skills redundant.
The sub-par quality of low-funded institutions as compared to the elite state and private institutes has already pushed people from non-affluent families into underemployment or low-tier jobs. We are anxious that even after spending years studying a course, we will be considered ‘non-employable’.
Because of a lack of awareness and participation, we are not involved in the decisions of AI, even though it is going to shape our futures. We are expected to just mindlessly believe that a select few are going to build AI for all the citizens of India with accurate knowledge of our lived realities and our needs.
Unrestricted innovation is motivated by profit and runs the risk of not addressing the real needs of the youth, future generations, and the larger citizenry. Lack of participation in building AI futures will undermine democracy, increase inequalities, and create AI products that will cause more problems than solve them.
People in powerful positions are talking about building data centers, semiconductors, and AI chips. Data centers require massive amounts of water, electricity, and land. People in Indian villages and cities already struggle to access these resources.
If resource-hungry AI infrastructure takes up our lands and water, where will we go? Do we need to build AI at a breakneck speed, knowing that it is going to harm the planet?
Constant upgradation of GPUs, CPUs, chips, and other equipment to catch up with advancements in the field is leading to more electronic waste. Where is this waste going and how is it affecting our ecology?
The field of AI is expanding unchecked throughout multiple sectors, though we know that AI hallucinates, makes mistakes, and has biased outcomes. We are rushing to use AI without creating proper guardrails and contemplating its long-term impacts.
AI needs historical data and historical data is biased. This is bound to solidify boundaries that have been present in our society for the longest time. Predictive AI is already making decisions for students, farmers, doctors, banks, and the police, which can have harmful effects on the lives of end-users.
Who will be accountable for the decisions AI makes? How is the government planning to safeguard us from the potential risks of AI?
Companies deploy AI in all sectors - education, healthcare, governance, welfare, mobility, judiciary, and finance without considering the varying levels of impact it can have on people. AI platforms that are unregulated cannot decide people’s futures. Companies should not have unrestricted access to implement AI solutions in high-stakes situations.
If AI is inevitable in the future, we urgently need more human-centric frameworks that create more opportunities and solve our problems. To address these concerns, we put forward the following 6C framework that should guide the values of AI development in India.
AI development must center human dignity, well-being, and empathy rather than competition or profit. Workers.
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All young people should be equipped with the expertise to navigate and build AI technologies. We should be provided with the critical knowledge.
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We want AI systems to be built in a participatory manner to ensure that youth and community voices are heard and acted upon.
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As a climate-vulnerable country, we should protect and safeguard the environment at all stages of AI development and deployment.
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We should build a human-centric approach to AI rather than a profit-centered one. AI systems should prioritize ethics.
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Moving with caution in AI development is paramount. The implementation of AI for decision-making should follow a comprehensive risk assessment.
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We imagine an India that is
Equal and just.
We imagine an India that is
Thriving with empowered youth.
We imagine an India that is
Using technology to build, not break, communities.
We believe in the transforming power of emerging technologies. We imagine India @ 2047 to be equal and just. An India where young people are thriving, and emerging technologies are assisting us and our future generations in building an equitable and just nation, rather than exacerbating inequalities and anxieties.
We, the youth, believe that we can build an AI-collaborative future that is for all Indians; one that celebrates its diversity and culture. We would like the opportunity to solve India’s most pressing problems. We ask to be heard and looked at as allies, not as a user base or as inexpensive labour.
We want the decision makers to hear our voices because #ItsOurFutureAfterall. Join us in the movement to build an equitable, care-centric AI future for India!
ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 23
ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 22
Rajoda Model School, Bavla, Gujarat, Age 15
Rajoda Model School, Bavla, Gujarat, Age 14
Khokhraumar Primary School, Narmada, Gujarat, Age 14
Khokhraumar Primary School, Narmada, Gujarat Age 14
Khokhraumar Primary School, Narmada, Gujarat Age 13
Harihar Dev High School, Pathara, Odisha, Age 16
Harihar Dev High School, Pathara, Odisha, Age 16
Harihar Dev High School, Pathara, Odisha, Age 15
Harihar Dev High School, Pathara, Odisha, Age 14
Harihar Dev High School, Pathara, Odisha, Age 14
Railway Colony High School, Jharsuguda, Odisha, Age 17
Railway Colony High School, Jharsuguda, Odisha, Age 15
ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 24
ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 24
ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 20
ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 21
Eriyad ITI, Kerala, Age 20
Eriyad ITI, Kerala, Age 23
NSTI, Trivandrum, Kerala, Age 23
NSTI, Trivandrum, Kerala, Age 21
NSTI, Trivandrum, Kerala, Age 25
Haryana, Age 21
Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 19
Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 23
Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 18
Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 18
Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 22
Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 23