SFLC.IN Hosts Dialogue Around AI Risks Regulations and Licensing

On Monday, the Software Freedom Law Center, India (SFLC.IN), hosted a dialogue on artificial intelligence at the India Habitat Centre, bringing together experts from industry, academia, and technology. The event, AI in Focus: Navigating Risk, Regulation, and Responsibility, featured panelists including Saikat Saha, technology director, NASSCOM Sunil Abraham, policy director of Meta India, Udbhav Tiwari, director of global public policy at Mozilla, and Smita Gupta, co-lead of the Open Justice for AI initiative. 

SFLC.IN's founder Mishi Choudhary highlighted the organization's early work in AI since 2018, predating the rise of generative AI. She emphasized the urgent need for proactive, innovation-friendly regulations that prioritize ethics, human rights, equity, and environmental sustainability.

"We have seen data evolve, from simple pattern-matching software to systems capable of imitating human behaviour; it raises urgent questions about ethics and rights. We must shift from reactive measures to proactive and pro-innovation regulations, but not at the cost of human rights, equity, and environmental sustainability," she said.

Saikat Saha, Technology Director at NASSCOM in his remarks emphasized NASSCOM AI's efforts to shape technical frameworks and tackle shared risks to promote responsible AI adoption in India. He noted AI's potential as an economic game-changer, particularly for priority sectors like SMEs. While acknowledging challenges such as regulatory ambiguities and region-specific issues, he highlighted the organization's commitment to facilitating open consultations among corporates, MSMEs, and other stakeholders.

The panels highlighted the urgency of inclusive AI governance tailored to India’s needs while aligning with global standards like the EU’s GDPR. Emphasizing pro-innovation policies, digital literacy, and collaboration, the event set the stage for SFLC.IN’s upcoming research paper, Harnessing Open Source in AI, which aims to guide future dialogues and initiatives on responsible AI practices.