Next week, heads of state, global policymakers, and Big Tech executives will convene in New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit. As the first AI summit to be hosted in the Global South, it positions India at the centre of deliberations on the future of artificial intelligence. The State has framed its vision for AI governance around the theme of “Democratizing AI and Bridging the AI Divide.” However, this aspirational framing risks obscuring deeply troubling domestic realities, particularly at a moment when India has witnessed a marked democratic backsliding and a consolidation of authoritarian power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Religious minorities and other marginalized communities increasingly face heightened surveillance, targeted hate, systemic discrimination, and state repression. The unregulated deployment and weaponization of AI systems are only making things worse.
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