Date: 11/04/2023

Relevance: GS-2: Parliament and State Legislatures.

Relevance: GS-3: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, and robotics.

Key Phrases: Sampark Se Samadhan, Bias and discrimination, Regulatory frameworks, Ulysses, Speech2Write, National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA).

Context:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a game-changing technology in recent years, attracting the attention of entrepreneurs, political leaders, and policymakers around the world.

Key Highlights:

• Most mature democracies are now using AI tools for better pieces of legislation and parliamentary procedures.
• AI tools have become an essential component of various applications, including parliamentary procedures and legislative activities.
• Improving research quality: AI tools can help parliamentarians in conducting research on various legislative matters. By analyzing large amounts of data and identifying patterns and trends, AI can provide valuable insights that can aid in the formulation of effective policies.
• Providing information on bills and House rules: AI tools can provide information on any bill and help legislators in understanding the impact of proposed legislation on the Indian populace.
• Assisting in legislative drafting: AI tools can also assist in the drafting of legislation by generating text based on pre-defined rules and criteria. This can speed up the process of drafting and make it more accurate.
• Analyzing citizen grievances and media opinions: AI tools can be used to analyze citizen grievances and media opinions to flag issues that need immediate attention. This can help legislators to stay connected with their constituents and prioritize their concerns.
• Simulating potential outcomes of policies: AI tools can be used to model various datasets such as the Census, data on household consumption, taxpayers, beneficiaries from various schemes, and public infrastructure. This can help in predicting potential outcomes of a policy and also help in identifying outdated laws that require amendment.

Several Challenges in Employing AI Tools For Legislative Activities

• Ethical Concerns:
  • Bias and discrimination:
    • AI algorithms can perpetuate bias and discrimination if the data used to train the algorithms are biased.
    • For instance, AI tools may disproportionately affect marginalized groups, leading to discrimination.
  • Privacy:
    • AI tools can collect sensitive personal data, leading to privacy breaches.
    • The potential for surveillance and monitoring can raise concerns about the abuse of power by the state.
  • Accountability:
    • AI tools can be opaque and difficult to understand. It can be challenging to attribute responsibility for decisions made by AI tools.
    • There is a need for accountability mechanisms to ensure that AI tools are not used to violate human rights.
• Legal concerns:
  • Liability:
    • In case of any harm or damage caused by AI tools, it can be difficult to determine liability.
    • Current legal frameworks are insufficient to address liability issues related to AI.
  • Intellectual property:
    • AI can create content such as images, music, and texts, leading to concerns about intellectual property rights.
    • There is a need for legal frameworks to address the ownership and protection of AI-generated content.
  • Regulatory frameworks:
    • The current legal frameworks may not be adequate to regulate the use of AI in the legislative process.
    • There is a need for regulatory frameworks that address the ethical and legal concerns associated with AI.

Ways to Address Ethical and Legal Concerns:

• Transparent and explainable AI:
  • The use of transparent and explainable AI tools can address concerns related to bias, discrimination, and accountability.
  • AI systems must be transparent, and their decision-making process should be explainable to ensure accountability.
• Data privacy:
  • The use of data privacy laws can ensure that AI tools do not violate individual privacy rights.
  • The data used to train AI algorithms must be anonymized and consented to by individuals.
• Regulatory frameworks:
  • Regulatory frameworks must be established to govern the use of AI in the legislative process.
  • These frameworks must address the ethical and legal concerns associated with AI.
• Liability:
  • Liability frameworks must be established to determine liability in case of harm caused by AI tools.
  • This can include establishing insurance policies for AI tools and creating a legal framework to address liability issues.
• Collaboration:
  • Collaboration between policymakers, lawmakers, and technology experts can ensure that AI tools are used ethically and legally.
  • This collaboration can ensure that AI tools are designed to respect human rights and ethical principles.

Conclusion:

• The use of AI in the legislative process can bring about significant improvements.
• However, it is essential to address the ethical and legal concerns associated with AI to ensure that its use is citizen-friendly.
• The establishment of regulatory frameworks, the use of transparent and explainable AI, and collaboration between policymakers and technology experts can ensure that AI tools are used ethically and legally.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. Discuss the ethical and legal concerns associated with the use of AI in the legislative process. How can these concerns be addressed to ensure that the use of AI is encouraged in an open, transparent, and citizen friendly manner? (250 Words).