Aiming for leadership in AI amid rising regulatory demands, India and the EU are set to collaborate on ethical AI governance, digital infrastructure, and semiconductors.
Officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) are set to discuss potential collaboration between India and the EU on responsible and safe artificial intelligence (AI) next week. According to a report by Moneycontrol, this is a part of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC).
The meeting is expected to take place after November 24 in the European Union.
This collaboration is vital as both regions seek leadership in ethical AI governance amid rapid AI advancements and growing regulatory demands. The EU’s AI Act focuses on safe AI deployment, while India’s IndiaAI initiative aims for inclusive growth.
In addition to AI safety, the discussions will also cover digital public infrastructure, skilling initiatives, semiconductors, and other related topics. The IT ministry, led by Secretary S. Krishnan, will lead these talks.
The India-EU Trade and Technology Council, announced by the European Commission in April 2022 and launched in February 2023, includes three working groups. The first focuses on strategic technologies, digital governance, and connectivity, the second on green and clean energy technologies, and the third on resilient value chains, trade, and investment.
India’s discussions on AI, semiconductors, and other issues will be part of the digital governance and strategic technologies working group.
In addition to the MeitY officials, Commerce Ministry representatives are also set to attend the meeting, with plans to assess negotiations for a proposed trade agreement with the EU.
The first meeting of the ‘Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance, and Digital Connectivity’ working group took place on May 3, 2023, followed by a Business Roundtable. The TTC’s first official meeting was held in Brussels on May 16, 2023, with a ministerial meeting scheduled for November 24, 2023. On November 21, 2023, India and the EU signed an MoU on semiconductors.
A joint India-EU workshop on High-Performance and Quantum Computing was held in June 2023 at C-DAC Pune, and in March 2024, journalists from Central Europe will meet with Krishnan to discuss social media regulations, semiconductor manufacturing, and cybersecurity.
