- UNESCO and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) are hosting a stakeholder consultation on India’s AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM).
- Consultation brought together various stakeholders to collaborate on aligning India’s AI ecosystem with UNESCO’s global ethical guidelines, with a focus on transparency, inclusiveness, and fairness.
New Delhi, India, January 21, 2025 —The UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia in New Delhi, in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) of the Government of India and Ikigai Law as the implementing partner, organized a two-day stakeholder consultation on AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) in India. The event occurred at IIIT Bangalore and at the Nasscom AI office
This consultation was the second in five series organized under the AI RAM initiative by UNESCO and MeitY. The initiative aims to develop an AI policy report explicitly tailored for India, highlighting strengths and growth opportunities within the country’s AI ecosystem. This report will offer actionable insights to encourage AI’s responsible and ethical adoption across various sectors. The AI RAM serves as a diagnostic tool to identify opportunities for government engagement, particularly in regulatory efforts and institutional capacity building related to AI. As India experiences rapid growth in the AI sector, it is essential to align governance with ethical principles to create a holistic AI ecosystem focused on safety and trust.
The consultation brought together various government, academia, industry, and civil society stakeholders. The main focus was to explore strategies for aligning India’s AI ecosystem with the ethical principles outlined in UNESCO’s Global Recommendation on the Ethics of AI. Key themes of the discussion included transparency, inclusiveness, and fairness.
The initiative is timely as India launches its ambitious INDIAai Mission, supported by over ₹10,000 crore in funding. A key component of this mission is the Safe and Trusted AI pillar, which emphasizes the importance of safety, accountability, and ethical practices in developing and deploying AI. By promoting indigenous frameworks, robust governance tools, and self-assessment guidelines, the mission aims to empower innovators and ensure that the benefits of AI are accessible across various sectors.
The event featured expert presentations, breakout sessions, and discussions that provided actionable insights into responsible AI adoption.
Dr. Mariagrazia Squicciarini, Chief of the Executive Office for Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO, emphasized that the RAM offers a comprehensive overview of a country’s AI landscape, including its infrastructure, legislation, components, and key stakeholders. She highlighted that by engaging diverse perspectives, the RAM identifies opportunities and addresses potential challenges in AI, ensuring its transformative potential is harnessed responsibly across the entire economy.
During his address, Shri Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary of MeitY, emphasized the government’s commitment to creating a balanced and innovation-friendly AI environment grounded in responsible governance. He highlighted the shared responsibility between UNESCO and MeitY to translate the UNESCO Recommendations on the Ethics of AI into concrete policy actions tailored explicitly to India’s unique AI ecosystem.
The breakout sessions facilitated comprehensive discussions on critical areas, including governance, infrastructure, workforce development, and the adoption of artificial intelligence across various sectors. Participants contributed significant insights that were instrumental in shaping the foundational framework for India’s AI policy roadmap. These collaborative efforts seek to identify existing gaps, prioritize opportunities, and ensure the implementation of ethical AI practices that enhance societal well-being.
What is the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM)?
The AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) is a powerful diagnostic tool, guided by the UNESCO Recommendations on the Ethics of AI, designed to help governments navigate the rapidly evolving world of AI. It assesses the readiness of AI systems, identifies gaps in governance, and provides actionable insights to foster a responsible, ethical AI ecosystem. In a country like India, where AI is growing at lightning speed, aligning AI governance with ethical principles like proportionality, fairness, safety, transparency, and trust is more crucial than ever.
Source: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India
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