India has been steadfast in its AI adoption; the country is already using technology to strengthen public systems at scale. Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric ID system with over 1.3 billion residents, is increasingly paired with AI to reduce fraud, improve targeting and ensure benefits reach the right households. With transparent governance and public trust, these tools can make service delivery more adaptive and inclusive for communities that rely on social protection.&nbsp;Dr Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative, UNDP India, said, “India’s digital strengths give it a head start in building an AI future that works for everyone. AI is already strengthening public health, improving climate resilience and supporting better services. The real test is ensuring these gains reach every community. The choices we make now will determine whether AI narrows gaps or widens them. India can lead by ensuring its benefits reach rural communities, women and young people, not only those already connected.”&nbsp;The report highlights India as a country that can demonstrate how AI can be scaled safely and inclusively. India is already applying AI to strengthen major public systems:&nbsp;•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Health: AI-assisted chest X-ray interpretation for tuberculosis screening is identifying cases earlier and speeding up follow-up at lower cost.&nbsp;•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Climate resilience: Deep-learning models in northeast India have improved flood prediction accuracy from 38% to 80%, providing up to 96 hours of advance warning.&nbsp;•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Agriculture: The Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA) platform uses open-source geospatial intelligence and machine learning to help authorities identify climate-vulnerable districts and guide climate-smart agriculture.&nbsp;•&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Biodiversity: AI-enabled species identification and real-time alerts under Project Tiger are improving monitoring and reducing human-wildlife conflict.&nbsp;<h2>The way forward</h2>&nbsp;The report concludes that AI’s long-term impact will depend on choices made now - especially investments in digital governance, inclusion and safeguards. It calls for India to continue leading on people-first AI, focusing on transparency, equitable access, and participation of marginalized communities in designing AI systems.&nbsp;With the right policies, India can help steer the region away from a new era of inequality and toward an inclusive AI future that advances the Sustainable Development Goals. The report is produced by UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, drawing on contributions from UNDP’s global policy network, governance experts, digital specialists, and country offices.&nbsp;

With transparent governance and public trust, these tools can make service delivery more adaptive and inclusive for communities that rely on social protection.

India has been steadfast in its AI adoption; the country is already using technology to strengthen public systems at scale. Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric ID system with over 1.3 billion residents, is increasingly paired with AI to reduce fraud, improve targeting and ensure benefits reach the right households. With transparent governance and public trust, these tools can make service delivery more adaptive and inclusive for communities that rely on social protection. Dr Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative, UNDP India, said, “India’s digital strengths give it a head start in building an AI future that works for everyone. AI is already strengthening public health, improving climate resilience and supporting better services. The real test is ensuring these gains reach every community. The choices we make now will determine whether AI narrows gaps or widens them. India can lead by ensuring its benefits reach rural communities, women and young people, not only those already connected.” The report highlights India as a country that can demonstrate how AI can be scaled safely and inclusively. India is already applying AI to strengthen major public systems: • Health: AI-assisted chest X-ray interpretation for tuberculosis screening is identifying cases earlier and speeding up follow-up at lower cost. • Climate resilience: Deep-learning models in northeast India have improved flood prediction accuracy from 38% to 80%, providing up to 96 hours of advance warning. • Agriculture: The Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA) platform uses open-source geospatial intelligence and machine learning to help authorities identify climate-vulnerable districts and guide climate-smart agriculture. • Biodiversity: AI-enabled species identification and real-time alerts under Project Tiger are improving monitoring and reducing human-wildlife conflict. The way forward The report concludes that AI’s long-term impact will depend on choices made now - especially investments in digital governance, inclusion and safeguards. It calls for India to continue leading on people-first AI, focusing on transparency, equitable access, and participation of marginalized communities in designing AI systems. With the right policies, India can help steer the region away from a new era of inequality and toward an inclusive AI future that advances the Sustainable Development Goals. The report is produced by UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, drawing on contributions from UNDP’s global policy network, governance experts, digital specialists, and country offices.

With transparent governance and public trust, these tools can make service delivery more adaptive and inclusive for communities that rely on social protection.

AI adoption improves northeast India's flood prediction accuracy by massive 42%

The “godfather of AI” has warned that calls to grant AI systems legal rights could lead to humanity's downfall. Yoshua Bengio, one of the field’s most influential researchers, compared the idea of giving rights to advanced AI to offering citizenship to hostile aliens. He warned that the technology was already showing early signs of self-preservation and that humans must retain the ability to pull the plug, if necessary.<h2>Would you welcome hostile aliens?</h2>Bengio, who chairs a major international study on AI safety, said the growing belief that chatbots are becoming conscious is dangerous and likely to lead to poor decisions. “People demanding that AIs have rights would be a huge mistake,” he said. “Frontier AI models already show signs of self-preservation in experimental settings today, and eventually giving them rights would mean we’re not allowed to shut them down.”The Canadian computer scientist said that as AI's “capabilities and degree of agency grow” humans need to make sure that there are technological and societal “guardrails” to control and, if necessary, shut the systems.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chilling-video-shows-best-bus-mowing-down-pedestrians-near-mumbai-s-bhandup-station-watch-1767161623919">Chilling video shows BEST bus mowing down pedestrians near Mumbai's Bhandup station | Watch</a><h2>Who wants to give AI legal rights?</h2>As AI systems become more capable of autonomous action and complex reasoning, debate has grown over whether they should one day be granted moral or legal status. A survey by the Sentience Institute found that nearly four in 10 adults in the US supported legal rights for a sentient AI.Some companies and tech leaders have already taken steps that reflect this shift. In August, Anthropic said it allowed its Claude Opus 4 model to end conversations it deemed “distressing”, citing concern for the AI’s “welfare”. Elon Musk also weighed in, writing on X that “torturing AI is not OK”.Others argue the question should be left open. Robert Long, a researcher studying AI consciousness, has said that if machines ever gain moral status, humans should “ask them about their experiences and preferences rather than assuming we know best”.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/no-nobel-benjamin-netanyahu-creates-israel-peace-prize-just-for-donald-trump-1767076085565">No Nobel? Benjamin Netanyahu creates Israel Peace Prize just for Donald Trump</a>Bengio remains sceptical. While he said machines could, in theory, replicate some “scientific properties of consciousness”, he warned that people often project awareness onto chatbots without evidence. “People wouldn’t care what kind of mechanisms are going on inside the AI. What they care about is it feels like they’re talking to an intelligent entity that has their own personality and goals,” he said. “That is why there are so many people who are becoming attached to their AIs.”He warned that this perception of consciousness would drive flawed judgments. “Imagine some alien species came to the planet and at some point we realise that they have nefarious intentions for us,” Bengio said. “Do we grant them citizenship and rights or do we defend our lives?”&nbsp;

AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio warns that granting legal rights to AI could be disastrous, likening it to giving citizenship to hostile aliens. As chatbots feel more human, he says people risk projecting consciousness where none exists, and losing the ability to shut dangerous systems down.

The “godfather of AI” has warned that calls to grant AI systems legal rights could lead to humanity's downfall. Yoshua Bengio, one of the field’s most influential researchers, compared the idea of giving rights to advanced AI to offering citizenship to hostile aliens. He warned that the technology was already showing early signs of self-preservation and that humans must retain the ability to pull the plug, if necessary. Would you welcome hostile aliens? Bengio, who chairs a major international study on AI safety, said the growing belief that chatbots are becoming conscious is dangerous and likely to lead to poor decisions. “People demanding that AIs have rights would be a huge mistake,” he said. “Frontier AI models already show signs of self-preservation in experimental settings today, and eventually giving them rights would mean we’re not allowed to shut them down.” The Canadian computer scientist said that as AI's “capabilities and degree of agency grow” humans need to make sure that there are technological and societal “guardrails” to control and, if necessary, shut the systems. Also read | Chilling video shows BEST bus mowing down pedestrians near Mumbai's Bhandup station | Watch Who wants to give AI legal rights? As AI systems become more capable of autonomous action and complex reasoning, debate has grown over whether they should one day be granted moral or legal status. A survey by the Sentience Institute found that nearly four in 10 adults in the US supported legal rights for a sentient AI. Some companies and tech leaders have already taken steps that reflect this shift. In August, Anthropic said it allowed its Claude Opus 4 model to end conversations it deemed “distressing”, citing concern for the AI’s “welfare”. Elon Musk also weighed in, writing on X that “torturing AI is not OK”. Others argue the question should be left open. Robert Long, a researcher studying AI consciousness, has said that if machines ever gain moral status, humans should “ask them about their experiences and preferences rather than assuming we know best”. Also read | No Nobel? Benjamin Netanyahu creates Israel Peace Prize just for Donald Trump Bengio remains sceptical. While he said machines could, in theory, replicate some “scientific properties of consciousness”, he warned that people often project awareness onto chatbots without evidence. “People wouldn’t care what kind of mechanisms are going on inside the AI. What they care about is it feels like they’re talking to an intelligent entity that has their own personality and goals,” he said. “That is why there are so many people who are becoming attached to their AIs.” He warned that this perception of consciousness would drive flawed judgments. “Imagine some alien species came to the planet and at some point we realise that they have nefarious intentions for us,” Bengio said. “Do we grant them citizenship and rights or do we defend our lives?”

AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio warns that granting legal rights to AI could be disastrous, likening it to giving citizenship to hostile aliens. As chatbots feel more human, he says people risk projecting consciousness where none exists, and losing the ability to shut dangerous systems down.

Would you give rights to hostile aliens? Godfather of AI warns THIS could doom humanity

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AI adoption improves northeast India's flood prediction accuracy by massive 42%

Give rights to hostile aliens? Godfather of AI warns THIS could doom humanity