'Tech transforming lives of 1.2 billion Indians daily...' Rajeev Chandrasekhar offers 'Insight' with Sadhguru
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar addressed the global recognition of India as a trusted partner and the need for active participation in global affairs. Chandrasekhar also stressed the dual nature of technology, acknowledging both opportunities and threats, particularly in dealing with deepfakes.
FollowUnion Minister of State for Electronics & IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, joined Sadhguru for a fireside chat during the 12th edition of ISHA INSIGHT, centred around the theme 'The DNA of Success 2023' in Coimbatore. The conversation delved into India's transformative journey since 2014, focusing on the integration of technology to impact lives, democracy, and governance.
Chandrasekhar, a former chip designer and entrepreneur who founded BPL Mobile, highlighted India's progress since independence. He emphasized Prime Minister Modi's distinctive vision for technology, not solely as an innovation and wealth creation tool, but as a means to transform lives, democracy, and governance. Over the past 9 years, India has evolved into a digital economy fostering innovation, startups, and unicorns, challenging the global narrative.
The minister said, "I evangelize technology for the good. I have spent about 30-35 years. As a veteran of tech, I can tell you that the starting point of this journey is what the Prime Minister outlined as his goal for technology in 2015-16. Unlike any other leader in the world who views it as an area of innovation, creating wealth, and opportunity, he laid out his objectives -- that technology must transform the lives of the people, and it must transform our democracy, that technology must transform governance. People ask me to talk about tech in the context of India. I say that there is no nation on the planet where tech is transforming the lives of 1.2 billion people daily, in and out, on a very fundamental basis. I think that is the story of Indian tech.”
Reflecting on his parliamentary experiences, Chandrasekhar underscored India's emergence as a trusted global partner, envisioning its future alignment with countries like Japan, the US, the UK, and Europe. However, he emphasized India's active role, contrasting with its past as a passive spectator. Chandrasekhar acknowledged technology's dual nature, posing both opportunities and threats, especially with the ease of generating deepfakes.
Addressing the dangers of deepfakes, the minister affirmed the Government of India's commitment to establish guardrails, ensuring the internet remains safe and trustworthy. He recognized the evolving threat landscape, where even smaller nations seek India's technological expertise for an open-source implementation. Chandrasekhar highlighted the impending rollout of a standard operating procedure and the digitization of the complaint and FIR process to address issues of misinformation and cyber threats effectively.
Citing Prime Minister Modi's foresight, Chandrasekhar acknowledged the significance of tackling misinformation and the power of artificial intelligence in creating authentic-looking deepfake videos. The minister emphasized the need for vigilance, balancing the beauty and inclusivity of technological advancements with measures to combat potential harm, criminality, and bad actors.
