PM Modi, Bill Gates just had a 117-minute-long talk; here's what they discussed

PM Narendra Modi Bill Gates interview: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in conversation with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates at his residence in New Delhi engaged in compelling discussion. The interaction, which started with the mention of the G20 Summit held last year in India, covered a wise range of critical issues, ranging from AI innovation, technology and sustainability to social empowerment. Here are some key takeaways from their conversation:

An insightful interaction with @BillGates. Do watch! https://t.co/wEhi5Ki24t

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 29, 2024

Technology

PM Modi in interaction with Bill Gates: Technology can play a big role in agriculture, health, education

PM Modi identified agriculture, education, and health as three sectors where he believes technology can play a big role, and highlighted efforts of his government. PM Modi said he used to hear of digital divide in the world and had decided that he will not allow this to happen in India.

In this context, he highlighted the "Drone Didi" scheme for women to use drones in agriculture and the initiative to provide long-distance treatment to patients.

PM Modi: Technology is being used to plug the shortcomings of teachers in education

PM Modi said he believed in the democratisation of technology as it gives everyone an equal opportunity and added that he is taking technology to villages.

Highlighting his use of AI, PM Modi asked Gates to take a selfie through his (NaMo) app and then showed him how it could be located through the face-recognition technology. Discussing the issue of Artificial Intelligence (AI), he said it should not be seen as a magic tool or as a replacement for people's laziness to do some work.

Prime Minister Modi noted how he used AI at the G20 summit to translate speeches and also his addresses in different languages at several events. A technology like ChatGPT should be used to constantly improve oneself, he added.

PM Modi: I am fascinated by technology, I am not an expert but have a childlike curiosity for it

He said he is fascinated by technology but is not a slave to it. "I am not an expert but have childlike curiosity for technology," he said Speaking of digital revolution in India, the prime minister said he believed that nobody should have a monopoly over it and it should be driven by the common people.

Digital public infrastructure is required, the prime minister said, with Gates adding that India is leading the way.

PM Modi: Deepfakes in a democratic country like India are a big concern

Responding to a question from Bill Gates on how India looks at AI which is a huge opportunity but comes with its own challenges, PM Modi said proper training is must to handle technologies like AI.

The Prime Minister said artificial intelligence (AI) presents a huge opportunity but there is a significant risk of misuse, especially deepfakes, if such a powerful technology is placed in unskilled hands.

"I have engaged with leading minds on AI and its risks. I suggested that we should start with clear watermarks on AI-generated content to prevent misinformation. Proper sources of AI-generated content should also be mentioned," PM Modi said.

Deepfakes in a vast democratic country like India, which is going into general elections, is a real issue.

"Someone can even misuse my voice to deceive people and such a deepfake can trigger widespread uproar. We need to think about creating robust dos and don'ts on deepfakes," the PM Modi told Gates.

Using AI as a magic tool or asking ChatGPT to write letters is a great injustice to this wonderful technology as we should rather compete with AI to improve ourselves and innovate further to solve real life problems, according to the Prime Minister.

"India has a myriad of languages and dialects and we need to push AI to recognise and adapt to those to help people," PM Modi told Microsoft Co-founder.

"I constantly present new challenges to AI whenever I get a chance to speak to a machine or a robot, fostering its growth and adaptability," the Prime Minister said.

The prime minister said his government initiated storage of all university certificates in cloud storage to reduce costs and to fulfil various needs efficiently.

"Earlier, there was a push for stringent compliance requirements. But I advocated and ensured simplification, and made certain that data is uploaded to cloud (storage) with shared IDs, enabling us to access necessary information directly," PM Modi said.

Data security remains a paramount concern, he said and added that India has a legal framework in place but public awareness is equally crucial.

Healthcare

Covid: Life Vs Virus, says PM Modi

He said digital technology will have a big role in the fourth industrial revolution and he is confident that India will do well. PM Modi noted how India used the CoWin platform to provide COVID-19 vaccination slots and certificates to people while the world was struggling to do it during the pandemic.

PM Modi: We aim to encourage vaccination for all girls to prevent cancer

He said he wants to allocate funds to scientists for local research in cervical cancer to develop Fvaccines at a minimal cost and that his new government will work to ensure vaccination, especially for all girls.

He added that he is taking technology to villages and cited linking up of over two lakh health centres to the best of hospitals with technology to ensure quality treatment of people.

PM Modi: In democracy, collaboratin and education drive progress

PM Modi has frequently expressed confidence that he will return to power for a third straight term after the general elections.

Climate

Speaking on the issue of climate change, PM Modi said the world needs to change parameters like use of electricity or steel to define development as it is anti-climate and should instead adopt terminologies like green GDP and green employment.

Recycling and reuse have been part of Indians' nature, he said, mentioning that the jacket he was wearing was a recycled product. PM Modi said he believes in leveraging technology not just to enhance services but also to significantly improve the ease of living for citizens.

In addition, the prime minister reiterated that he wanted to lead a government in which any unnecessary governmental intervention from the lives of people is eliminated.

For those in poverty, who genuinely require government assistance, the assistance should be readily available in abundance, he added. He said India has been making rapid advancement in the field of renewable energy and is working to boost its growth in green hydrogen.

PM Modi credited "democratisation of technology" to rule out any monopoly for digital revolution in India as it gives everyone an equal opportunity.

"It is by the people and for the people. We are committed to ensure that emerging talent from within the community can continuously contribute and enhance its value to foster trust in technology among people," he said.

(with agency inputs)