By the Young

A care-centric code for better AI futures

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?

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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.

If these trends persist, will we truly be able to achieve the dream of a Viksit Bharat?

The Inequality in
India’s AI Vision


01

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.

02

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.

03

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.

04

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.

AI first —
but for whom?

We refuse to be limited to being passive consumers of AI! We want a say in how AI will shape our current and future lives. We are proposing a reversal of priorities, focusing on care, in favour of building a Viksit Bharat with a human, environment, and a labour-centric approach.

The core concerns

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!

World leaders keep saying that AI will bring more jobs. But what kind of jobs is AI creating? Will there be dignity in those jobs?

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.

With the AI hype at its peak in India, how should youngsters navigate it? How do we decide what to learn? Who will get left behind in this race?

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’.

Our communities and people still are not aware of AI. How do we expect them to be active citizens in the building of an AI-enabled Viksit Bharat?

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.

We are promised that building AI would lead to development and jobs, but if it’s going to deplete our natural resources and contribute to climate change, what is the point of developing it? Shouldn't we learn from our past and prioritise saving the environment?

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?

We humans, with all our intelligence, are living with many biases. How can we expect a technology like AI that is being built by the same humans to be unbiased?

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?

Should AI tools with a higher probability of human and environmental harm be differentiated from those with lower risks?

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.

Our Vision:
A 6C Framework for India’s AI Futures

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.

Care

AI development must center human dignity, well-being, and empathy rather than competition or profit. Workers.

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Creativity

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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Community

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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Climate-Conscious

As a climate-vulnerable country, we should protect and safeguard the environment at all stages of AI development and deployment.

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Conscientious

We should build a human-centric approach to AI rather than a profit-centered one. AI systems should prioritize ethics.

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Caution

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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Our Dream for India @ 2047


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!

Join us in the movement
to build an equitable, care-centric AI future for India. Because #ItsOurFutureAfterAll

Join Us

This Charter is made by:

Gauri Goenka

ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 23

Gyaneshwar Mehta

ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 22

Kirankumar Chandrakant

Rajoda Model School, Bavla, Gujarat, Age 15

Hasmukhbhai Jayantbha

Rajoda Model School, Bavla, Gujarat, Age 14

Radhaben Ashwinbhai

Khokhraumar Primary School, Narmada, Gujarat, Age 14

Purvika Harshadbhai

Khokhraumar Primary School, Narmada, Gujarat Age 14

Vedantkumar Bipinbhai

Khokhraumar Primary School, Narmada, Gujarat Age 13

Laba Prasad Nayak

Harihar Dev High School, Pathara, Odisha, Age 16

Kusha Prasad Nayak

Harihar Dev High School, Pathara, Odisha, Age 16

Rudra Behera

Harihar Dev High School, Pathara, Odisha, Age 15

Rakhi Gouda

Harihar Dev High School, Pathara, Odisha, Age 14

Rajlaxmi Gouda

Harihar Dev High School, Pathara, Odisha, Age 14

Apsari Bano

Railway Colony High School, Jharsuguda, Odisha, Age 17

Asrabi Ali

Railway Colony High School, Jharsuguda, Odisha, Age 15

Rehamtulla

ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 24

Mayank Kumar

ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 24

Ravina Kumari

ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 20

Khushboo

ITI Pusa, Delhi, Age 21

Abhijith M D

Eriyad ITI, Kerala, Age 20

Mohamed Abdul Ahad P M

Eriyad ITI, Kerala, Age 23

Aaliya Nazar S

NSTI, Trivandrum, Kerala, Age 23

Sandra Dileep S

NSTI, Trivandrum, Kerala, Age 21

Anju Krishna A

NSTI, Trivandrum, Kerala, Age 25

Ashish, Rajlugadi ITI

Haryana, Age 21

Nikunj Garg

Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 19

Sonu

Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 23

Rakshit S

Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 18

Shivam

Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 18

Kiran Tusamer

Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 22

Neelam

Rajlugadi ITI, Haryana, Age 23