Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada, on Wednesday said that the government is working to make Artificial Intelligence platforms ethical and cheaper for the public.

Speaking as the chief guest at a conference on 'Ethical Use of AI and Literacy' organised by Jagran New Media, he emphasised that AI will impact every sector, from medicine and education to agriculture. He noted that the importance of AI will only grow, making it unavoidable in the future.

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is successfully working to make Indian AI models affordable, ethical, fair, transparent, and grounded in data privacy principles," Jitin Prasada said.

Addressing the ethics of AI, Prasada stressed the need for equitable access. He asserted that technology should not be a privilege for a select few but must reach rural India to be truly effective.

"Unless technology is democratized and reaches every village, it serves no real purpose. People must understand how technology will transform their lives," he said, adding that a "New India" is now leaving its mark on the global stage.

Regarding the threat of deepfakes during elections, the Minister highlighted the risk of misinformation in a democracy like India. He confirmed that the government is in constant contact with tech companies to mandate watermarks on AI-generated content, ensuring users can distinguish between real and synthetic media.

The event also featured insights from Gaurav Arora (COO, Jagran New Media) and Rajesh Upadhyay (Editor-in-Chief), along with representatives from Google. Harsh Dhand (Google APAC) and Aditi Chaturvedi (Google India) emphasised the importance of collaboration and user trust.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion featuring cybersecurity experts and academics, alongside the presentation of a research paper on the 'Sach Ke Sathi' campaign by Dr Mukta Martolia.