Answer ... (a) Healthcare
The Indian healthcare system is heterogeneous and the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) was launched with the aim of creating digitised records of all doctor-patient interactions. With the recent notification of new regulations on telemedicine, it has been acknowledged that AI may be used for the purpose of evidence-based decision making. The NDHM is leveraging machine learning and AI with the aim of digitising healthcare records and assisting in building evidence-based healthcare delivery tools.
(b) Security and defence
In February 2019, the Ministry of Defence established a high-level Defence AI Council3 under the chairmanship of the minister of defence, tasked with providing strategic direction on the adoption of AI in defence. The government intends to interact with the private sector to evaluate all available options for the implementation of AI in the sector.
(c) Autonomous vehicles
The Motor Vehicles Act 2019 per se does not provide for autonomous vehicles (AVs). However, it contains an exemption that may allow for testing of AVs as follows:
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by the Central Government, in order to promote innovation and research and development in the fields of vehicular engineering, mechanically propelled vehicles and transportation in general, the Central Government may exempt certain types of mechanically propelled vehicles from the application of the provisions of this Act.
(d) Manufacturing
Indian manufacturing companies have made attempts to move towards factory automation solutions to improve product quality and design, reduce labour costs, minimise the manufacturing cycle and monitor the real-time condition of machines. However, new AI-based hardware and software are being adopted in an unregulated area, without clear regulations on workers’ rights, liability of AI software, data privacy or cybersecurity.
(e) Agriculture
AI in agriculture is focused on the modernisation of agricultural activities. With more than 500-plus agritech start-ups now operating in India, momentum is gathering pace. Many of these start-ups are leveraging technologies such as AI and machine learning to improve efficiency and yields, speed up agricultural financing and achieve other advantages that should promote India’s agricultural growth. Companies such as Satsure are using space technology to assess the risks associated with the agriculture industry, ranging from weather variability to frequent natural disasters, uncertainty in crop production and market prices, lack of effective rural infrastructure and market information asymmetries that reduce the efficacy of risk.
(f) Professional services
While there are solutions available in the market in this sphere, there is not much publicly available data to discuss.
(g) Public sector
INDIAai (the National AI Portal of India) – a joint venture of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the National E-Governance Division of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology and the National Association of Software and Service Companies – has been set up to prepare the nation for an AI future. It is the central knowledge hub on AI and allied fields for aspiring entrepreneurs, students, professionals, academics and other stakeholders. The portal focuses on creating and nurturing a unified AI ecosystem to drive excellence and leadership in India’s AI journey, to foster economic growth and improve lives. The government is aligning with the private sector to use AI for social empowerment, inclusion and transformation in key areas such as healthcare, agriculture, education and smart mobility.
3. https://www.ddpmod.gov.in/sites/default/files/AI.pdf