India Stifles AI Development

Welcome Renaissance Creator,

We have been extolling the virtues of open source since day 1 of this publication’s existence.

The reason has mostly been as a way to empower creators and builders without gatekeeping access to the privileged few. But it turns out that open source can also be a competitive advantage.

India is testing this theory in real time.

Let’s dive in.

The One Big Thing

India Looks to Put a Pause on AI Development

India has a muddled history with technology. While the IT boom of the last century was a key driver in the country’s growth, technology regulation has left a lot to be desired over the years.

While many Asian countries were able to capitalize on the crypto boom of the past decade, India blocked its citizens from accessing the nascent industry and prevented its domestic banking businesses from serving crypto clients, entirely missing the trillion dollar industry’s birth.

Now, India seems to be taking the same approach with AI.

India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT issued an advisory to firms on Friday that mentions they “do not permit any bias or discrimination or threaten the integrity of the electoral process.” The full extent of the advisory is not yet public but the intent seems very clear.

India is indeed in an election year and the move could be seen as a way for the current administration to thwart any kind of shadow groups using new technology to undermine them, as was the rumor in the American elections in 2016.

While this is the most likely outcome it does not change the fact that politics are once again getting in the way of generational technology that could improve the lives of a literal billion people. This move puts India at an extreme competitive disadvantage. Entrepreneurs who were previously planning to take their startups back to India for use in fields like agriculture.

This move will thwart any talent looking to use their time or talent in India. It will prevent any local talent from being able to access the cutting edge tools other entrepreneurs and students have open access to.

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