AI can bridge rich-poor divide, asserts Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said Artificial Intelligence will create more jobs and help in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. The technology could also help in facilitating the reach of health services to remote areas, he said.

Fadnavis was speaking at a panel discussion on Governance and Artificial Intelligence with Vice Premier of Quebec Dominique Anglade in Montreal.

Dismissing the fear of losing jobs due to artificial intelligence, he said, "On the contrary, it will create even more jobs and not just that, it will repair and solve many problems. Artificial intelligence has the power to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor."

Fadnavis said that due to the information asymmetry in India between the rich and the poor, he proposes to use artificial intelligence tools for access to basic services.

"Health services can be provided in remote villages using artificial intelligence powered diagnostic tools like retinal photography and its transmission via internet to centrally located doctors," he said.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area of computer science that emphasises the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans. The chief minister also spoke about the death of several farmers in the state's Yavatmal district last year while spraying pesticides in their fields.

Start-ups were now showing a way out by using drones and artificial intelligence for the purpose, he said.

The chief minister also spoke about the use of technology in service delivery and to bring sustainability in the era of climate change.

"Technology is like a horse, one has to take control of it and ride it. Once you start riding it, it will be at your service," he said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he proposes to use artificial intelligence tools for access to basic services like providing health services in remote villages using artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic tools and its transmission via internet to centrally located doctors