Ambassador’s speech at the Inauguration of International Conference titled “Artificial Intelligence and Computer Technologies: Practices, Experiences, Challenges and Prospects in Denau Institute of Entrepreneurship and Pedagogy

I am glad to be here and participate on an issue which is topical, important as we see rapid strides being made in AI and as my PM Shri Narendra Modi has said, is “re-shaping our polity, our economy, our security, our society and writing the code for humanity in this century”.

I am also glad that the conversations on AI are taking place in Denau University of entrepreneurship and Pedagogy which in just five years has been able to make a huge mark for itself. It has fostered an environment of innovation and research and I had the good fortune of visiting this temple like institution yesterday and was witness to the amazing transformative concepts that the university is implementing. Our Rector has played a crucial role in this and kudos to his and his team.

Coming on the aspect of AI. We in India, as a developing nation, and as member of global south like Uzbekistan, feel that AI must be inclusive. It should be rooted in realities of our daily lives and should be free from biases. Democratization of technology is important and its approach should be development of people. So, people centric applications will remain our focus as we aspire to become a global AI powerhouse, leveraging cutting-edge technology for growth, governance, and progress.

Our natural advantage is a young talented population and an environment that is fostering innovation.  Considerable amount of work in terms of policy research capacity building is already happening.

India will be happy to share its experience and expertise with the world.  This is also the vision of our National AI Mission. You would all recall that during our G20 Presidency, we had built a consensus on Harnessing AI Responsibly, for Good, and for All. It needs to be safe and also trusted. Our PM Narendra Modi at the AI Action Summit in Paris in February also highlighted the need for addressing challenges relating to cyber security, disinformation, and deep fakes and for technology to be rooted in local ecosystems to be effective and useful.

Given the scale of work being done in India, Stanford University has ranked India among the top four countries in the Global and National AI vibrancy ranking based on 42 indicators. In the Stanford AI Index 2024, India ranked first in the AI skill penetration segment.

In a nutshell, India’s approach will be inclusive, development and improved governance, with focus on innovation and homegrown solutions and willingness to share   towards international AI advancement. In the heart of our efforts, humanity and shared human values will continue to guide our approach.

I think both India and Uzbekistan with a young talent base and desire to grow and empower people can contribute by having more exchanges between our startups, our universities and our two governments. We also need to ensure a truly level playing field so that AI is not just confined to a privileged few or dominated by global tech giants. Therefore, I value the role Denau University is playing by holding an interaction on this important issue.

I also want to mention that apart from AI, we have been cooperating on several other initiatives including culture exchanges, capacity building through our ITEC programme and I am glad to note that already we have had 20 candidates from Denau University visit India. We also feel that we can have more meaningful exchanges on the region and on issues relating to sustainability, green energy water management etc.

I wish all of you attending the conference all success and productive discussions.