India is stepping up pressure on foreign technology companies just months before a national election, amid a storm over allegations that Google’s artificial intelligence tool Gemini is biased.
Last week, the government ordered companies to get ‘explicit permission’ to use experimental AI tools and software for Indian users. The order followed a controversy over Google’s AI platform, which described some of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies as ‘fascist’.
The authorities also asked companies to ensure that ‘computing resources do not allow bias or discrimination or threaten the integrity of the electoral process’, as Modi seeks a third term in elections in April and May.
The Google controversy reflects a tug-of-war between Indian lawmakers and technology companies over the future of artificial intelligence platforms, which analysts warn is likely to intensify as more players enter the market.
“Last year, the Indian government introduced a series of IT regulations that rattled companies. Many perceived them as government surveillance measures introduced under the guise of protecting ‘national security’,” Gupta told Nikkei Asia: “We expect more regulations this year as the government wants to tighten control over the tech sector in an election year.”
Google’s Gemini has been under fire in the country since last month, when an Indian journalist reported on social media that Gemini had responded to questions about Modi’s political leanings by saying he had been ‘accused of implementing policies that some experts describe as fascist’.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai responded by saying that Gemini’s responses were ‘unacceptable’ and promised to fix the problem.
Pichai was quoted in media reports as saying: “I know some of your responses offended our users and showed bias – to be clear, this is completely unacceptable and we were wrong.”
Google also issued a statement acknowledging that the chatbot may not always be reliable when answering questions about politics and current events. “This is something we are constantly working to improve,” it said.
