Robust & Responsive AI Governance Essential To Sustain Technological Progress: PSA

New Delhi, Jan 24 (KNN) The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) has released a White Paper titled ‘Strengthening AI Governance Through Techno-Legal Framework’, outlining India’s approach to building safe, trustworthy and innovation-friendly artificial intelligence (AI) systems. 

The paper proposes a governance model that combines laws, technical safeguards and institutional oversight.

Releasing the document, PSA Ajay Kumar Sood said, “Developing a robust and responsive governance framework is not just a regulatory necessity but a prerequisite for sustaining the momentum of technological progress. The techno-legal approach offers a viable pathway by embedding legal, technical, and institutional safeguards into AI systems by design.”

Proposal for AI Incident Database

The paper recommends setting up a national database to track AI-related problems such as safety failures, biased outcomes, security breaches and misuse. Reports would come from government bodies, companies, researchers and civil society groups. The database would help identify risks, track trends and guide regulatory action.

Voluntary Steps and Expert Support

The White Paper encourages companies to voluntarily publish transparency reports, test AI systems for fairness and safety, carry out security checks and conduct stress-testing exercises. 

It also suggests creating a Technology and Policy Expert Committee under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to support AI governance.

Balancing Privacy, Fairness and Performance

The document notes that protecting privacy while ensuring fairness and system performance can be challenging, especially in a diverse country like India. It recommends impact-aware data removal instead of automatic data deletion, to avoid harming underrepresented groups.

(KNN Bureau)