Union Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh on Thursday stressed on safeguarding the interests of consumers while harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Singh made the remarks while speaking at a workshop — “Artificial Intelligence and Consumers” — organised by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
The workshop was aimed at having a constructive dialogue between the department officials and stakeholders on issues around safeguarding the interest of consumers while reaping the benefits of AI.
Therefore, it is all the more imperative to be careful about the effects of these technologies with respect to their relationship with consumers, he added.
Uses of AI technology in monitoring prices of essential commodities, facilitating lodging of consumer complaints were also discussed at the workshop.
“The following suggestions were proposed during discussions: making of regulations by the government in the field of AI on the basic principles enshrined in our constitution like right to equality and privacy, day to day statutory protection on how AI generated data should be used, using AI for classification of cases and to channelise them to the right department and striking a balance between regulations by the government in the field of AI and innovation,” the statement said.
The department looks forward to leveraging the outcomes of this session to foster ongoing collaboration between industry stakeholders and policymakers, it added.
The ideas and insights shared during this event will serve as a foundation for future policy making, ensuring the AI regulations aligns with consumer interests, the statement said.
During the workshop, it was stated that the four biggest challenges for AI policy makers would be algorithmic biases, substitution of jobs by AI, fake news, non-robust definition of AI and regulation for AI.
The various stakeholders and experts discussed advantages of AI in terms of identifying shopping preferences, buying patterns, enhanced recommendations, predictive support to customers.
They also discussed challenges AI pose, including privacy concerns, difficulty in assigning liability in case of default/lapse, algorithmic biasness on parameters like gender and colour, and AI-regulated bad bots.
“It was discussed that the main aim is to create a balance between safeguarding the interest of consumers and using AI for economic growth. Safety measures include productive data management, critical evaluation, secure interaction, audit and reputable sources and platform to voice concerns were discussed,” the statement said.
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