UK wants AI sans power to destroy human beings
London, April 16: The autonomous power to hurt, destroy or deceive human beings should never be vested in Artificial Intelligence (AI), said a UK parliamentary report on Monday.
It is essential that ethics take centre stage in AI's development and use, said the House of Lords Artificial Intelligence Committee's report -- AI in the UK: Ready, Willing and Able?
The report said that a cross-sector AI Code should be established, which can be adopted nationally and internationally.
Suggesting principles for such a code, the committee said that AI should be developed for the common good and benefit of humanity and that it should operate on principles of intelligibility and fairness.
AI should not be used to diminish the data rights or privacy of individuals, families or communities, the report said.
Moreover, all citizens should have the right to be educated to enable them to flourish mentally, emotionally and economically alongside AI, it added.
"AI is not without its risks and the adoption of the principles proposed by the Committee will help to mitigate these," said Lord Clement-Jones, Chairman of the Committee.
An ethical approach ensures the public trusts this technology and sees the benefits of using it. It will also prepare them to challenge its misuse," he added.
It is not currently clear whether existing liability law will be sufficient when AI systems malfunction or cause harm to users, and clarity in this area is needed, said the report.
In its report, the committee also pointed out that many jobs will be enhanced by AI, many will disappear and many new, as yet unknown jobs, will be created.
Warning of the dangers of a few technology firms dominating AI development, the report said that greater competition is required in this segment.
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India, US trade team to start three-day talks from Dec 10: Sources
New Delhi (PTI): India and the United States will commence three-day talks on the first phase of their proposed bilateral trade agreement here from December 10, sources said.
The visit is crucial as India and the US are working to finalise the first tranche of the pact.
"The three-day talks will start on December 10. It will conclude on December 12, and it is not a formal round of talks," said one of the sources.
The US team will be led by Deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) Rick Switzer.
This visit of the US officials marks their second trip since the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff and an additional 25 per cent penalty on Indian goods entering the American market due to the purchase of Russian crude oil.
On September 16, the US officials last visited India.
On September 22, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also led an official delegation to the US for trade talks. Goyal had also visited Washington in May.
While the USA's chief negotiator for the pact is Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, the Indian side is led by Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce Darpan Jain.
The talks are also important as Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal has recently stated that India is hopeful of reaching a framework trade deal with the US this year itself, which should address the tariff issue to the benefit of Indian exporters.
While noting that the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) will take time, Agrawal has added that India is engaged in protracted negotiations with the US on a framework trade deal that will address the reciprocal tariff challenge faced by Indian exporters.
India and the US are having two parallel negotiations -- one on a framework trade deal to address tariffs and another on a comprehensive trade deal.
In February, leaders of the two countries directed officials to negotiate an agreement.
It was planned to conclude the first tranche of the pact by the fall of 2025. So far, six rounds of negotiations have been held. The agreement aims to more than double bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030, from the current USD 191 billion.
The US remained India's largest trading partner for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25, with bilateral trade valued at USD 131.84 billion (USD 86.5 billion exports).
The US accounts for about 18 per cent of India's total goods exports, 6.22 per cent of its imports, and 10.73 per cent of its total merchandise trade.
According to exporters, the agreement is important as India's merchandise exports to the US declined for the second consecutive month in October, falling by 8.58 per cent to USD 6.3 billion due to the hefty tariffs imposed by Washington.
