Citizens and stakeholders must give their feedback on the draft policy by May 19
Opportunities are like sunrises; if you wait too long, you miss them, someone once said. Benjamin Franklin is credited with pointing out that “You may delay, but time will not.” This is true of so many things in life, especially when we have a quick deadline within which to respond. At the moment, interested citizens and stakeholders have been asked to respond to the Draft Goa AI Policy. The draft has been made available online, including on the goa.gov.in site.
Today, AI is ubiquitous. You can’t do a Google search without running into it. Educators use it, and it lands up in written texts. Students find it convenient to use. Sometimes, it lands up in officialdom too. In New Delhi, a recent case spoke of a campaign taken up by an industry lobby group based on a policy that does not even exist, probably falling prey to AI “hallucinations”.
From May 4, Goa has 15 days to respond to the draft AI policy. It is, of course, based on laudable intentions — “transform Goa into a premier global hub for high-tech and AI-led development” and “foster an inclusive, innovation-driven AI ecosystem”, among others. It also aims to certify 50,000 individuals, or one in over 40 residents of Goa, in AI skills by 2030. It also speaks about bringing in “at least five global AI enterprises” to the state by 2028. Smart governance, startup support and youth skill development have also been mentioned as part of the AI policy plans.
But are enough people tuned in and paying attention? Have stakeholders given sufficient mindshare to the future they would like to see in this field? That is, even assuming that the average citizen and a small state actually have control over this juggernaut, which frightens as many with its possible risks as it excites others with its supposed potential.
Stakeholders should be involved in the run-up to this policy. That would mean the technology industry, startups, educational institutions, government departments, civil society and, indeed, every citizen. Of course, the call for comments is a step exactly in this direction. But given that some stakeholders have a deeper interest than others, they could be directly involved.
A forward-looking AI policy could ideally balance technological adoption with civil liberties. There should be scope for transparency and local capacity-building, besides public accountability. Over the past decade or so, what we have seen is a lack of transparency and accountability. AI use in government also needs to ensure that it stays on the right track. Government departments using AI could disclose where it is being used, whether decisions are automated or assisted, what datasets are used, and what safeguards exist. Citizens should be kept informed if AI is being used in fields like welfare screening, policing, tourism surveillance, recruitment, land records, education or public grievance systems. At the end of the day, AI use also needs human oversight and the right to appeal.
The government needs to understand the issues and concerns of citizens. However, it is important that citizens, IT-related organisations and startups raise their points officially before May 19. Awareness needs to be created, as it is an important policy with implications that are difficult to fathom now. AI has transformative potential across all sectors of the state’s economy, society and governance. Some issues might look technical and irrelevant to our immediate future, but they could make a big difference to the lives of all in the time to come. Hence, it deserves the attention due.
