“The shift towards automation, which we call Artificial Intelligence (AI), is inevitable, but I don’t think it is growing exponentially fast. We have seen the cutting-edge technology move dramatically in the last couple of years with ChatGPT,” said Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Tamil Nadu’s Minister Information Technology and Digital Services.

Speaking at the Hindu AI Summit2024 on Thursday, he said, “At this point, the technology (AI) is still augmentative rather than replacement. It has many limitations if we try to use it as a general intelligence tool.”

Different era

“In the past there have been many automations, but this era is different. The volume of data collected, stored and available for analysis has grown exponentially and it is mind boggling,” he added.

He further said that AI would reach its full potential when somebody who wants to find out if they’re eligible for a scheme can pick up the phone and can talk with a AI, without realising its not a human, and can it as guide through out the process.

“Are we close to the edge of mass replacement of entire human beings’ productivity with AI? My view is that we’re not. The models are good, but we don’t have the capacity to create it across companies, every process and every industry in the short term,” he said.

‘Our chance’

“This is vital period. For the next 20 years India will be the largest source of working age human capital in the world. This is our chance to get it right and to use this as a wonderful opportunity rather than see it (AI) as a threat,” he added.

“Many jobs might get replaced by AI. . But it’s not going to happen in the next 3 to 5 years or 8-10 years. “We have time and I hope that all of us collectively— the government, industry, academia, global companies and innovators—will find a way to see this as an inflection point, not just in technology, but in our economic activity and the future of our youth,” he said.

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