Watermarking AI-generated visuals, deepfakes a must: PM Modi to Bill Gates

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, March 29

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged “significant risks of placing powerful technologies like artificial intelligence in unskilled hands”, advocating watermarking of AI-generated visuals, including deepfakes, and said the establishment of dos and don’ts for AI use was a must.

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The PM said AI should be used to improve lives and not be seen as a “magic tool that would step in just because we are too lazy to do something on our own, like draft a letter”.

“In a vast democratic country like India, the misuse of deepfakes can create uproar. For example they can misuse my voice and it can initially deceive people, leading to widespread chaos. So it is crucial to acknowledge that deepfake is AI-generated and mention its source. These measures are really important, especially in the beginning. We need to establish some dos and don’ts,” the PM said in a 45-minute freewheeling conversation with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

In the discussion held at PM’s official residence here and telecast on his X handle, the two leaders engaged on India’s digital revolution, risks and value of the AI, climate change, millets and PM Modi’s fitness schedules. The Prime Minister told Gates, “I have a childlike curiosity for technology but I am not its slave.”

“There is a significant risk of misuse when such powerful technologies as AI are placed in unskilled hands. I have spoken to all legal minds engaged with AI. I suggested that we should start with clear watermarks on AI-generated content to prevent misinformation,” PM Modi said to Gates, who asked how India was approaching AI challenges. The PM said one should compete with ChatGPT and use it first within one’s area of expertise. Citing examples of India’s Covid vaccine delivery platform CoWIN, Drone Didi project, and village health facilities connected virtually with top hospitals, the PM said his government had “democratised digital technologies and removed digital divides”.

“With the Drone Didi project, I want to break the stereotype that rural women can only engage in a certain set of chores. Today they are drone pilots,” said the PM. The PM made significant remarks on the global climate change challenge noting how all current parameters to measure economic progress of nations were climate-unfriendly. “Progress is measured by per capita energy consumption, the use of steel. This spurs steel production which causes carbon emissions. We should develop the concept of green GDP,” he said.