Emphasising that the world is entering a new era of AI, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “There is a need for a collective effort to establish governance and standards that uphold shared values, address risks and build trust.”

Addressing as co-chair of the AI Action Summit in Paris, PM Modi said, “Some people worry about machines becoming superior in intelligence to humans, but no one holds the key to our collective future and shared destiny other than us humans. That sense of responsibility must guide us. AI is already shaping our polity, our economy, our security and even our society.” PM Modi further said, “AI is writing the code for humanity in the 21st century, but it is very different from other technology milestones in human history”.

“AI is developing at an unprecedented scale and speed, and being adopted and deployed even faster. There is also a deep interdependence across borders.” But, he said, “Governance is not just about managing risk and rivalry. It is also about promoting innovation and deploying it for the global good. So we must think deeply and discuss openly about innovation and governance. Governance is also about ensuring access to all, especially in the Global South. It is where the capabilities are most lacking, be it computing power, talent, data, or the financial resources.” He said that AI can change millions of lives by making improvements in health, education and agriculture. It can also make the journey toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals easier and faster. 

“To do this, we must pull together resources and talent. We must develop open-source systems that enhance trust and transparency. We must build quality data sets, free from biases. We must democratise technology and create people-centric applications. We must address concerns related to cyber security, disinformation and deepfakes. And we must also ensure that technology is rooted in local ecosystems for it to be effective and useful,” said PM Modi. “Loss of jobs is AI’s most feared disruption. But history has shown that jobs do not disappear due to technology. Its nature changes and new types of jobs are created, we need to invest in skilling and re-skilling our people for an AI-driven future,” he added. “There is no doubt that the high energy intensity of AI needs to be looked into. This will require green power to fuel its future.”

For years, India and France have collaborated to harness the Sun's power through programs like the International Solar Alliance. “As we advance our partnership to AI, it is a natural progression from sustainability to innovation, to shape a smarter and responsible future. At the same time, sustainable AI does not only mean using clean energy. AI models must also be efficient and sustainable in size, data needs and resource requirements,” he said. “After all, the human brain manages to compose poetry and design spaceships using less power than most light bulbs.”

PM Modi further exemplified, “India has successfully built a digital public infrastructure for over 1.4 billion people at a very low cost. It is built around an open and accessible network, it has regulations and a wide range of applications to modernise our economy, reform governance and transform the lives of our people. We have unlocked the power of data through our data empowerment and protection architecture, and we have made digital commerce, democratic and accessible to all.” 

“This vision is the foundation of India’s national AI mission. That is why, during our G-20 presidency, we built a consensus on harnessing AI responsibly for good and for all. Today, India leads in AI adoption and technical legal solutions for data privacy. We are developing AI applications for the public good. We have one of the world’s largest AI talent pools. India is building its own large language model, considering our diversity, we also have a unique public-private partnership model for pulling resources like computing power. It is made available to our startups and researchers at an affordable cost,” said PM Modi. “And India is ready to share its experience and expertise to ensure that the AI future is for good and for all. We are at the dawn of the AI age, that will save the course of humanity,” he added. “Some people worry about machines becoming superior in intelligence to humans, but no one holds the key to our collective future and shared destiny other than us humans. That sense of responsibility must guide us.” 

French President Emmanuel Macron, US Vice President J.D. Vance, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were present in the audience while PM Modi delivered his speech. PM Modi arrived in Paris on Monday to co-chair the AI Action Summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. After attending the AI Summit on Tuesday and holding bilateral talks with France, he will head to the United States. Modi is scheduled to be in Washington, D.C., on February 12-13. 

Following his address at the AI Action Summit in Paris, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that India would host the next Global AI Summit. “To build on the momentum of this Action Summit, India would be happy to host the next Summit,” he said.

India's invitation to co-chair the AI event highlights its cooperation in technology, while China and the US remain engaged in a strategic rivalry in the race for AI. Modi and Macron will attend the India-France CEOs forum meeting in Paris after the summit concludes in the afternoon. It is anticipated that this will strengthen business connections between France and India.