EAM Jaishankar calls for balanced approach to AI, says trust and safety must guide innovation

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, addressing the inaugural session of the Trust and Safety India Festival (TASI) 2025, underscored the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) while urging a balanced and responsible approach to its governance.

The event, held on Monday, served as a pre-summit gathering ahead of the AI Impact Summit scheduled for February 2026.

Speaking at the event, Jaishankar highlighted how technology has always shaped human progress but warned that its outcomes depend on the choices societies make.

"In human history, the advancement of progress has been determined by the march of technology. Yet, that has not always been a linear path. The promise and the perils have always been two sides of the same coin. Choices made in the deployment and application decided the difference between empowerment and exploitation, between democratisation and domination, and between partnership and polarisation," he said.

"Today, we are at the cusp of an immense change, and decisions made by us, individually and collectively, will help decide the fate of the foreseeable future," he said.

The EAM noted that AI, in the coming years, would profoundly transform economies, reshape work habits, create innovative health solutions, enhance access to education, improve efficiencies, and even redefine lifestyles.

"The difference with the past is that this particular transformation that is going to come upon us -- this will be all-pervasive and not just sectoral. It will impact every citizen in every corner of the world. New efficiencies and new possibilities will certainly emerge, but so too will new players and new power centres," he said.

He stressed that this makes it vital "to adopt a balanced approach to the governance of AI and to ensure that there are adequate guardrails in place to protect digital nagriks".

Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jaishankar said, "Technology is a force for good, but only if humanity guides it."

He added that trust and safety form the cornerstone of responsible AI governance. For a country like India, he explained, this requires the development of indigenous tools and frameworks, self-assessment protocols for innovators, and the creation of appropriate guidelines.

"Only then can we be assured that the development, deployment, use and governance of AI is safe and accessible," he said.

Emphasising India's global leadership in digital governance, the EAM said, "India bears a special responsibility because many other nations -- especially those of the Global South -- look to us for inspiration. Certainly, in the case of digital public infrastructure, what we have achieved in the last decade, the scale of delivery, the improvement in governance, and the efficiencies with which we serve the public are already resonating across the world."

Jaishankar pointed out that different societies place varying emphasis on the benefits and risks of AI.

"Understandably, some of the narrative is influenced by those who have skin in the game. But at the end of the day, it is imperative that we take a sober and balanced view. After all, concerns about bias, ethics, privacy and vulnerability are well-founded, deriving from pre-existing experiences," he noted.

He also cautioned against the erosion of trust in institutions.

"We need to take particular precaution against the danger of losing trust in institutions and practices that underpin our daily life. Already, we see an inclination to question the umpire or even the playing field when results don't go in our favour. Maintaining -- and I would argue in the era of AI -- even strengthening trust, therefore, is of utmost importance," he said.

Jaishankar emphasised that fostering a global conversation on AI governance is essential.

"Every time a game-changing technology has appeared on the horizon, it has triggered similar endeavours. But history is also a witness to the reality that those exercises have not been easy," he said, warning that "there is the obvious temptation to put narrow self-interest above collective good".

"That is why we need to rise to this particular challenge, because what is at stake cannot be overstated. It is not just the ambitions of polities but the personal interest of every citizen on this planet," he added.

Reaffirming India's commitment to global AI leadership, the EAM said, "We in India have consistently advocated for global AI governance and the shaping of an international agenda. We demonstrated this during our G20 Presidency and strongly urged its usage for advancing Sustainable Development Goals, while safeguarding trust, safety, fairness and accountability."

He noted India's proactive role as a founding member of the Global Partnership on AI.

"We promoted the New Delhi Declarations, which envisaged responsible and inclusive AI. We participated in the AI Summits in Bletchley Park and Seoul and co-chaired the Paris AI-Action Summit last year. The AI Impact Summit in 2026 -- with a focus obviously on impact -- will take this forward," Jaishankar said.

Concluding his address, the EAM stressed the importance of inclusivity in AI governance.

"This is an endeavour whose success depends on our ability to ensure multi-stakeholdership. And that is why the TASI Festival today is important because it sends out a strong, inclusive and pro-people message on this critical issue," he said.

--IANS

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