UNESCO in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), IndiaAI Mission, and Ikigai Law as the implementing partner, hosted a two-day consultation on AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) on 16 and 17 January in India. The consultation aims to craft an India-specific AI policy report that identifies strengths and opportunities for growth within India’s thriving AI ecosystem. This report will pave the way for the responsible and ethical adoption of AI across all sectors.
What is the Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM)?
The AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) is a powerful diagnostic tool, guided by the UNESCO Recommendations on the Ethics of AI, designed to help governments navigate the rapidly evolving world of AI. It assesses the readiness of AI systems, identifies gaps in governance, and provides actionable insights to foster a responsible, ethical AI ecosystem. In a country like India, where AI is growing at lightning speed, aligning AI governance with ethical principles like proportionality, fairness, safety, transparency, and trust is more crucial than ever.
The event took place on January 16th at International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bangalore and on the 17th at the Nasscom AI Office in Bengaluru.
This consultation marks the second of five consultations under the AI RAM initiative by UNESCO and MeitY.
Shaping a safe and ethical AI future
On January 16th, diverse voices from government, academia, industry, and civil society came together to explore India’s ethical AI landscape, and opportunities, building on UNESCO’s Recommendations on the Ethics of AI. The discussions continued on January 17th, with a special focus on startups, highlighting their pivotal role in shaping a safe and ethical AI future.
India is a complex society with much more diversity in terms of languages, communities, castes, religions. So, whenever we look at developing AI models, we need to cater to these realities; and have more nuanced, contextual, and responsible AI. There needs to a whole of systems and governments approach.
Building AI with ethical awareness isn't just about compliance – it's about staying ahead. When you embed responsibility into your foundations, you're naturally prepared for future regulations and market expectations.
This was followed by a presentation on Parakh AI, an exciting initiative by Civic Data Labs selected under the Safe and Trusted AI pillar of the IndiaAI Mission. Mr. Deepthi Chand, co-founder of Civic Data Labs, introduced the project, emphasizing how the initiative addresses challenges such as algorithmic bias, lack of transparency, and limited stakeholder participation. He highlighted its participatory framework as a key step toward ethical and equitable AI deployment.
UNESCO and RAM
UNESCO is conducting the RAM in over 60 countries, with several governments across the world drawing crucial insights from the studies, into their national AI initiatives.
Chile, as the first country to complete the RAM has provided insights that beyond Latin America to benefit the global community.. The RAM in Chile helped identification of concrete actions, moving beyond general discussions to explore potential application areas. Following the RAM report, Chile has launched its updated National AI Policy and action plan, as along with an AI bill designed to regulate and promote the ethical and responsible development of AI technology.
India is gearing up for an AI-driven future with the ambitious IndiaAI Mission, supported by a ₹10,000 crore funding boost. At the heart of this mission is the Safe and Trusted AI pillar, ensuring that AI development remains accountable, safe, and ethical, and build strong governance frameworks, and democratize AI benefits across sectors. The RAM seeks to build synergies with this goal, contributing to shared efforts to ensuring ethical AI for all.
What next?
UNESCO and MeitY remain committed to translating the principles of UNESCO’s Global Recommendations into concrete policy actions tailored to India’s unique AI ecosystem. The AI RAM sessions will continue across India, fostering multi-stakeholder engagement to advance inclusive, responsible, and sustainable AI governance.
Stay tuned for more updates on the consultations!
For more information:
Ethical Impact Assessment
UNESCO Global AI Ethics and Governance Observatory
