Electrification 2.0: Making AI work for people

In recent months, artificial intelligence (AI) has truly captured the world’s imagination. While it is perhaps too early to say that AI has come of age just yet, what we’ve seen in recent months is a fascinating glimpse of the game-changing potential of AI.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that AI can be as transformative for all aspects of modern life in much the same way as electrification was in the 19th century. Back then, the use of electricity to power everything from lightbulbs to motors and machines helped humanity take a massive leap forward.

Once again, we stand on the precipice of generational change. Instead of electrification, we will have ‘cognification’, driven by AI and many other technologies current and future.

The early discourse around AI, however, has centred, not so much on how it can uplift society, but around how it could radically disrupt life as we know it.

This line of thinking may be tainted with cynicism, but it isn’t unfounded. Historically, corporations — in their natural pursuit of high revenue targets — have viewed technological innovation as a way to drive efficiency and profitability rather than tools for the betterment of society.

This is why it is imperative that now, even as AI is still in its nascency, we grab a hold of its narrative, moulding it in line with ideals such as inclusion, empowerment, and equitability. With these motivations baked into its DNA, we believe that AI can find its true utility as a force multiplier for the betterment of humanity at population scale, rather than just another tool in a long line of industrial innovations.

At EkStep Foundation, our community members have a track record when it comes to leveraging technology for the betterment of society. They’ve played critical roles in the development and deployment of massive projects such as Aadhaar, a unique identity system that has become a pivotal tool in the administration of government welfare schemes. They’ve also been involved in the conception and creation of DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing), a national platform for school education in India that was built on open-source technology. As individuals, they have also influenced the design and implementation of other game-changing technologies like UPI, FasTag, India Stack, ONDC, etc

Over the past two years, we, as a small community, have also been focusing attention on AI, which we believe can be a powerful tool for positive change.

This is where PeoplePlus comes in. Curated by the EkStep Foundation, PeoplePlus aims to grow into a diverse community of dreamers and doers from all walks of life — healthcare professionals, educators, farmers, artists, social workers, policymakers, technologists, etc. — all united by the common goal of using AI for the common good. This is an opportune time to bring together a community that has existed in a decentralized form.

Why the name PeoplePlus? Because we believe AI has the potential to add to human capabilities. Because it is People who should lead technology, not the other way round

Why Plus? Because it celebrates the power of coming together... People + AI. Purpose + Responsibility. Innovation + Inclusion... Imagination+ Reality. Tomorrow + Today. India + World.

Plus breaks the compromises of ‘Or’. This Or That.

On 1st April 2023 we’ll be hosting the first PeoplePlus Campsite, which will unite these diverse communities to find ways to use AI to solve well-articulated problems across three primary domains:

1) Education and Skilling
2) Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare
3) Law and Justice

Parallel to these tracks, we will also explore the potential use cases of AI in fields such as e-commerce, logistics, finance, and health, and how this can be used to improve both lives and livelihoods.

These focus areas are critical to India’s future prospects and will form the bedrock of success the country will enjoy in an increasingly digital world. Crucially, these domains are ones that PeoplePlus community is already well-versed in, having tackled the problems that these fields present in different capacities. They will now put that experience to good use, using it as the foundation on which they will conceptualize and eventually build community-serving AI solutions.

The Campsite is meant to serve both as a spawning ground for new and innovative ideas and a launchpad for these ideas to grow into path-breaking solutions. For problems to meet solutions, for mentees to meet mentors, for thinkers to meet doers, for technology to meet policy, and for problem solvers to meet problem sponsors. Swap stories, ideas, problems, and solutions over cups of tea, snacks, and a delicious lunch.

The program will kick off with Nandan Nilekani, EkStep’s Co-founder and Chairperson, challenging the audience’s thinking when it comes to AI, and sharing his vision. Going beyond the labs and playgrounds of AI, we want attendees to envision how AI can be used ethically and responsibly to advance social good in the heat and dust of real India.

Once this is done, participants will break up into different groups which, assisted and moderated by visionaries and mentors, will brainstorm creative and unique solutions to the problem statements presented. Once these plans have been fleshed out through discussion and tempered by debate, each group will get the chance to present a pitch to Nandan and a group of other experts from various fields.

At the end of the day, these efforts will help us gain a broad sense of potential AI solutions that could empower India’s masses, as well as the talent and other resources necessary to bring these solutions to bear.

This Campsite, of course, is merely the start of what promises to be an exciting and fulfilling journey. It will set the agenda for everything the PeoplePlus community does next. Following on from the ideas that take root at the campsite, PeoplePlus can shift its focus to bringing these ideas to life.

Moving forward, the community will curate and nurture the talent necessary to breathe life into these ideas and deploy them in the real world. Indeed, future events will shift the community’s focus and efforts from ideation to execution, going beyond paper to real scalable solutions. This is how we will ultimately ensure that humans are beneficiaries rather than casualties of the AI revolution. And India will lead this revolution. This revolution has already begun. I welcome you all to join the community and make this journey your own.