The Hindu AI Summit 2024: ‘Global consensus is the need of the hour to face challenges in using AI in governance’

Global consensus is required in formulating regulations for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in governance to face emerging challenges such as copyrights, data protection, and cyber vulnerability issues, and it is time to think of expanding the usage of AI to newer areas, said panellists at the The Hindu AI Summit 2024 in Chennai on Thursday (November 21, 2024).

Global consensus is required in formulating regulations for using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in governance to face emerging challenges such as copyrights, data protection, and cyber vulnerability issues, and it is time to think of expanding the usage of AI to newer areas, said panellists at the The Hindu AI Summit 2024 in Chennai on Thursday (November 21, 2024).

During a panel discussion on the topic ‘AI Driven Governance - Concept to Practical Application’, moderated by Ramya Kannan, Chief of Bureau, Tamil Nadu, The Hindu, Surpiya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu, said the Health Department, in 2022, had introduced AI in diagnosing tuberculosis in six districts in the State.

“We have 45 mobile vans fitted with digital X-ray machines to go around in remote and inaccessible areas. Out of these, six vans have been fitted with an AI tool, and more than 56,000 people have been screened by this tool in the last two years. The rate of detection, in comparison to the traditional models, is twice, and it is as precise as it would be done manually.”

Ms. Sahu said it is time to think of expanding the usage of AI to newer areas. She also explained how AI helped in averting elephant deaths in rail accidents in Madukkarai Forest Range in Coimbatore district.

“We were wondering what we can do to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks in Coimbatore district, where the railway tracks pass through the forest and divide two reserve forest patches. Elephants migrate from one patch to another to drink water and forage. There were accidents resulting in the death of elephants. But AI came to our rescue,” she said.

She said, in the health sector, AI has the potential to play an important role in screening refractive eye errors among children and detecting pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). Early detection of PIH would prevent maternal mortality to a great extent. She also said the State government is considering an AI mission for health.

Stressing the need to build adequate digital infrastructure before AI can have an impact, B. Ravindran, Head, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, urged governments to actively work towards this.