US and like-minded countries including India need to work together to shape course of AI
Arati Prabhakar
Washington (PTI): The United States and like-minded countries including India need to work together to shape the course of artificial intelligence, Arati Prabhakar, the Science Advisor to President Joe Biden, said on Friday as the administration roped in several IT giants like Google and Microsoft to ensure that it is not misused and is being used for public good.
"The work that we are doing includes working with companies to hold them accountable and there's some important progress on that today. We're also working on executive actions that we can take within existing law, and the President is considering an executive order that we think can really boost our ability to deal with AI's harms and also start using it for good," Indian-American Prabhakar told PTI in an interview.
"That's what we can do from the executive branch. We'll also continue to work with Congress on bipartisan legislation as they start putting legislation forward. Then critically and underpinning all of this is the work that we're doing globally with our international partners and allies, including with India," Prabhakar said.
"And that is because this is a global technology. It's everywhere. Everyone is participating and it's really affecting, it's going to affect everyone's lives and we want to make sure that like-minded countries work together to shape the course of AI," she said in response to a question.
AI, she said, was one of the important topics of discussion when President Joe Biden met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here last month.
"I think that's very much on the minds of our global leaders when they meet with President Biden. That's what happened with Prime Minister Modi and many others. I had the opportunity to be at Congress when the Prime Minister spoke and then at the State Dinner and then again at the luncheon that the Vice President and the Secretary of State hosted and artificial intelligence came up repeatedly in those conversations," she said.
"In fact, the prime minister made a wonderful joke when he addressed Congress and he said he thought AI stood for America, India, which is another way of interpreting it. But I think really the theme of many of the conversations that have happened is exactly what you're saying is we're going to have to link arms and be clear about how to achieve safe AI so all of our citizens can benefit from it," Prabhakar said.
Prabhakar, who spent half of her professional life in Silicon Valley and has her regular home in Palo Alto, said she senses the excitement about AI in Silicon Valley.
"What I would say is go build amazing applications for artificial intelligence because that is part of how we're going to go forward and make sure while you're doing it, to build AI that is safe and trustworthy so that it really does lift us up in the end," she said.
On Friday, Biden announced voluntary commitments that the administration has worked on with seven leading AI companies. These companies include Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and some of the smaller AI companies. A number of tech companies, some of the biggest leaders in AI, are signing up for some commitments on safety, security and trust.
"It is such an important step that we've been able to achieve by holding these companies to account because it's the first time that the industry has started to come together and take responsibility," she said.
"Then we're going to be working on what we need to do as an executive branch, and that will include figuring out how do we manage as AI makes voice cloning, makes fraud easier. As cybercrime becomes easier, some of these harms start advancing. How do we mitigate those harms within the laws and regulations that we already have?" she said.
"And then how do we start using AI for public purposes? How do we use it to deal with the climate crisis that we're confronting? How do we use it to improve health outcomes for everyone here in America and around the world? So we're seeing both the bright and the dark side and we're actively working on both pieces," she said.
Describing AI as the most powerful technology of this time, she said the president's been clear that how it is used is going to express their values. But that's true as well around the world.
"We know every part of the world is trying to use AI to create a future that expresses their values. I think we can disagree about lots of things in this country and around the world, but the one thing I think we would all of us would agree on is that we don't want to live in a future that's driven by technology, that's shaped by authoritarian regimes," Prabhakar said.
"That's is why I think it is so important for like-minded countries, for democratic countries to come together and make sure that we're working together to use AI in ways that express our values," said the top American scientific official.
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Elephant calf brought from Bijnor kept under care at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
Pilibhit (PTI): A 19-day-old elephant calf, brought from Bijnor, was placed under care at the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) on Sunday, an official said and added that the calf got separated from its mother in the forest area of Bijnor.
The calf was born on December 2 in the Bijnor forest area and got separated from its mother shortly after birth, the official said.
The forest department made several attempts to reunite it with its mother, but without any success. To ensure the calf's safety and better care, it was decided to transfer it to the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve on the instructions of senior officials.
On Saturday, Deputy Director Manish Singh received the calf. Special arrangements have been made in the reserve for its care. It has been kept in a safe and clean environment to provide it with a natural setting and protect it from external noise and disturbances.
Singh told reporters that raising an 19-day-old calf is challenging.
It requires a special diet as a substitute for mother's milk and constant monitoring.
He said a special team has been formed to provide 24-hour care. Since the calf is very young, it is being cared for like a newborn baby.
According to Singh, the primary responsibility for monitoring the calf's health has been entrusted to PTR's veterinarian, Dr Daksh Gangwar. Under his supervision, a complete record of the calf's health checkups, diet, and body temperature is being maintained. The team is ensuring that the calf does not contract any infection.
