Dear Readers

The artificial intelligence (AI) policy framework in India seems to be shaping up in the recent years. Several Indian ministries are keen to rev up AI technologies to match the global vision with discussion papers and reports that promise equitable access through a transparent and vigilant process. In 2018 itself reports from NitiAayog, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MietY), National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), NASSCOM Industry Partnership Program (NIPP), United States–India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and Department of Science and Technology (DST)mark a rising interest in the area.

Understandably, health seems to be the priority sector of AI interventions in India. The National Digital Health Blue Print under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) released on July 15, 2019 is in fact is up for comments. Doctors would perhaps, in the near future, be able to digitally access patient records anywhere in the country. It would avoid unnecessary duplication of pathological/radiological reports, help doctors follow protocol in disease control and significantly lessen the burden of healthcare with the help of centralized records.

However, the most difficult area in AI seems to be data security. For instance, putting in place a Digital Information Security Health Care Act (DISHA), 2017 where digital health records with and between hospitals are to be shared can be indeed beneficial on one side, but on the other can lead to data security threats and breaches. Data leaks from hospitals and pathological units are known to have happened in the past. Although the Information Technology Act 2000 with the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) rule 2011, talks about written consent before using data in order to maintain data security, there is minimal compliance in the nation. Geography and You attempted to reach out to the India’s policy body, NitiAayog, for a brief interview on AI’s new role in India, but the senior advisor responsible for the profile, could not find time for an interaction. We can hope that this is an aberration and not really how the policy advocators intend to exert transparency. 

This issue of Geography and You is an invigorating one, opening up vistas of knowledge that was new to me. AI is an emerging area that is in many ways already part of our lives. A better understanding of what it can do for India is showcased here. I would like to extend a special thanks to all the contributing authors, who have taken time out to make lucid presentations for general readers.

Happy reading.