Data Collection, Maintenance Through Artificial Intelligence Require Lot Of Clarity, Ethical Use: CAG GC Murmu

Although artificial intelligence is an emerging technology today, there are certain downsides for which one needs to have a lot of clarity and ethical use, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu said.

Talking exclusively to ANI, Girish Chandra Murmu said, "The emerging technology like AI has all applications. Wherever the government is applying, the auditor also follows. That's why all these technologies, deep learning or machine learning, are having implications."

"You need to see as an auditor when you see the ITO audit. Also, we ourselves as an auditor, can use artificial intelligence for analytics, and that's how AI assumes a lot of importance," he added.

On being asked if AI is already being used in the Indian audit process, the CAG said that it is being used to some extent.

"To some extent, in various audits, we have applied this and other technology also. We have a Centre for Data Management and Analytics. Various data we collect from various organisations, where cross-references are there. When you require a data cleaning, so we use this thing to some extent," CAG Murmu said.

He said that there are certain downsides to it as well, and one needs a lot of clarity and ethical use.

"It is (AI) like a human brain, so AI is also that kind of a thing. Both in governance, and you can see in the responsibility level, this artificial intelligence has certain downsides also, where everybody has to be aware of this thing or else there will be some misrepresentation. Because from open source and various sources, these machines through machine learning and deep learning, these data are then artificially used," he said.

CAG further added, "When it is artificially analysed, it may come to the wrong conclusion. So its liability will also arise. Also, privacy concern also comes, as data is mined from various sources. So these kinds of issues are there. Data collection and data maintenance itself require a lot of clarity and ethical use. Unless we do that kind of thing, definitely machines can manipulate. That's why ethics is required in Artificial Intelligence".

On being asked about the growing Indian Blue Market, Girish Chandra Murmu said it is a large subject which has not been explored.

"See the Blue Economy is a large subject. As you know, two-thirds of the earth is water. So the water resources, we have not explored. Various sectors are touching this one. Almost 80 per cent of sea trade is through the ocean. There are three billion people as per one estimate, those who access the ocean for livelihood. There are 600 million people depending on fisheries," he said.

CAG Murmu further said that there must be sustainability in the use of the Blue economy.

"It is a trillion-dollar economy. It has to be used in a very balanced way. There must be sustainability in this, and a lot of investment is required. As I said, Global South and many other countries will have challenges in terms of various issues arising out of pollution, over-exploitation and even security reasons also will come. So this assumes a lot of importance. And in India, there are many ministries dealing with this; the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and also Fisheries Ministry of Environment, and even Climate Change. So it assumes a lot of importance," he said.

The CAG further added, "So, the Blue Economy, we are trying to show the experience, the global experience. So, in an integrated way, you can develop certain audit methodologies. Right now, we are doing this on a sectoral basis, sometimes in coastal zonation, sometime in mangrove plantations, somewhere in mining and, some in fishing. But we have not done it very comprehensively. And that's why we thought this experience sharing should be done," he added. (ANI)