AI An Opportunity But Safeguards Must Through Right Governance Approach: TRAI Chief

Artificial Intelligence can transform how telecom networks are managed and threats detected, but its growing use must be accompanied by safeguards, human oversight, and the ability to intervene where necessary as technology becomes more autonomous, TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said on Monday.

As AI becomes more deeply embedded in communications networks, operators and technology companies need to invest in responsible AI, undertake risk assessments, maintain logs of decisions and test models before deployment, Lahoti said, stressing that high-impact systems should retain human oversight.

"AI creates opportunity, but also requires safeguards through the right kind of governance approach," Lahoti said, adding that automation should improve outcomes without obscuring accountability.

Human oversight, auditability and the ability to intervene will remain critical even as networks become increasingly autonomous, the top boss of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said.

"We have to work for a connectivity that is intelligent, use of AI that is responsible, innovation is to be encouraged, and every citizen is to be empowered by technology," he observed, while addressing an event by industry body COAI.

Addressing the inaugural session of 'Powering India's Intelligent Connectivity Future', Lahoti highlighted that AI is already helping telecom operators improve forecasting, optimise resources, speedily identify network issues and respond fast to changes in demand, paving the way for a shift from conventional automation towards networks with a much greater degree of autonomy.

However, greater dependence on AI also brings risks that operators and regulators need to gear up for. Lahoti said systems must be designed and prepared for scenarios in which automated decisions go wrong. These include whether an incorrect decision can be quickly overridden and whether services can continue when an AI-dependent function becomes unavailable.

Resilience requires that increased intelligence does not create new single point of failure, he cautioned.

"For consumers, trust is built through reliability, transparency, security, fair treatment, and the confidence that there is effective redressal when something goes wrong," Lahoti said.

The TRAI chief also flagged the dual role AI could play in combating online fraud and scams, saying the technology can strengthen trust by detecting anomalies and threats but, if misused, can also make harmful activities more sophisticated.

"AI can strengthen trust by improving detection of anomalies and threats, but if ill-utilised, it can also make harmful activity more sophisticated," he said, citing frauds and scams as clear examples.

AI can help identify suspicious patterns across datasets, but automated risk-classification systems need appropriate thresholds, safeguards and review mechanisms. He cautioned that wrongly identifying a legitimate consumer, enterprise or communication as harmful could lead to service disruption, reputational impact or denial of access.

"Fraudulent interaction can now move through multiple layers of the digital ecosystem. It may start with communication, involve a digital platform or an impersonated identity, and culminate in a financial transaction," he said.

Lahoti called for greater coordination among telecom operators, digital platforms, enterprises, financial institutions, government and law-enforcement agencies to tackle scams that increasingly cut across different parts of the digital ecosystem.

"Consumer experiences the change as one event. Institutions often see only separate parts of it. That is why the response must increasingly be coordinated," he emphasised.

Relevant information sharing for risk management should be "purpose-specific, proportionate, and protected against misuse", he said.

On regulating AI, Lahoti cautioned against both excessive prescription and leaving emerging technologies outside the governance framework until problems surface.

"A more durable approach is to focus on outcomes and risks," he said, pointing to consumer impact, accountability, security, reviewability of automated decisions and grievance-redress mechanisms as key considerations.

Technology neutrality will also be important, he observed.

"Regulation should not lock the ecosystem into one architecture or implementation model, when the underlying technology is evolving rapidly," he said.

Common standards and interoperability, however, could improve security, reliability and coordination without stifling innovation.

Lahoti said AI-powered multilingual and voice-based assistance could also strengthen consumer protection by providing contextual warnings when users encounter suspicious interactions, a key consideration in a linguistically diverse country such as India.

"India's next digital transformation will not be defined merely by how many people we connect, but by how intelligently, securely, inclusively, and responsibly we connect," he said.