During an interview with the Times of India, Union Minister of State for IT & Electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar revealed that Google apologised to the Indian government. The apology was for unsubstantiated comments made by its AI platform Gemini about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The American tech giant described the platform as “unreliable” amid growing concerns over the accuracy and integrity of AI-generated content.
Chandrasekhar emphasised that India doesn’t want to be a place where AI platforms are tested first. He’s not happy that AI data goes straight from labs to the internet without enough testing or protection. This comes particularly amid global criticisms of disseminating biased, misinformed, or unverified information to users.
Minister Criticizes Google’s Response on Gemini AI Platform
The government sent a notice to Google seeking an explanation on “unsubstantiated” results returned by Gemini in response to a query on the Prime Minister. Google replied, stating, “Sorry, the platform is unreliable,” as per the report. This action follows the government’s announcement that AI platforms will require a permit to operate in India.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar also told platforms to treat Indian consumers well. He said that AI platforms can get in trouble under Indian laws if they break rules, like spreading lies.
The minister mentioned that Google got a notice from the Indian government about the questionable results Gemini gave when asked about PM Modi. Google admitted that Gemini isn’t reliable. Chandrasekhar didn’t like this response. He said that just saying it’s unreliable isn’t good enough for AI platforms.
Google’s Gemini AI Platform Sparks Controversy
Google’s AI platform Gemini, formerly known as Bard, faced controversy after introducing a text-to-image feature on February 1. Critics on social media platforms like X voiced concerns about erroneous results, including biased depictions favoring individuals of color and inaccurate portrayals of historical figures such as the “Founding Fathers of America” and the “Pope”.
The problem with Google’s AI chatbot Gemini got worse because people said it was being unfair about race and history. They criticised Gemini for not making pictures of white people and for showing white historical figures as people of colour. Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, had people asking him to quit because of the argument.
Gemini sparked controversy in India for responding to a prompt about PM Modi’s political characterisation. The platform’s assertion that Modi has been accused of implementing fascist policies prompted further scrutiny. Responses to similar prompts about leaders of other nations, such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, were less contentious.
MeitY Issues Advisory Targeting AI Platforms in India
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued an advisory on Saturday amid growing concerns about AI-generated content. The advisory tells all platforms to make sure their computers don’t allow unfairness, discrimination, or threats to elections when using AI or similar programs. It applies to all AI models, big language models (LLMs), and software using generative AI.
They need permission from the government before going online in India. Even though it’s not a law, Minister Chandrasekhar says following it shows where regulations are going. He warns that not following it could lead to laws making platforms follow the rules. He cautioned that failure to comply could result in future legislation imposing mandatory regulatory measures on platforms.
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