Indian PM Seeks Global AI Pact at G20 as India, Australia, Canada Form Tech Alliance
Modi urges transparency, human oversight and safety-by-design in fast-advancing AI systems.
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Artificial intelligence must be governed by a global framework anchored in transparency, human oversight and safeguards against misuse, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a gathering of G20 leaders in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, warning that the technology is advancing faster than the world’s ability to regulate it.
“AI should be a force for global good,” Modi said, adding that “the ultimate decision should be made by humans.”
Speaking at the G20 session on ‘Critical Minerals, Decent Work and Artificial Intelligence’ in Johannesburg, Modi urged countries to form an international pact that addresses safety-by-design and clear lines of accountability.
He said the world is entering a period in which AI systems can influence labour markets, public services and political communication, and that without coordinated rules, these shifts could erode trust and widen inequalities.
“We need a global framework that is rooted in transparency, safety and human-centric values,” he said.
Modi argued that India’s own experience shows how advanced technology can be deployed without displacing human agency. He pointed to digital payments, citizen-service platforms and AI-enabled public-sector applications as examples of how India has tied technological progress to inclusion.
He said the India AI Mission, which is building an accessible high-performance computing backbone, is designed to give universities, startups and small firms the capacity to develop models that would otherwise remain out of reach.
He said India will host the AI Impact Summit in February next year under the theme ‘Sarvajanam Hitaya, Sarvajanam Sukhaya,’ or “Welfare for all, Happiness for all”, and invited G20 members to participate.
On the sidelines of the summit, Modi said India, Australia and Canada have established a new technology alliance, the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation Partnership.
He described the alliance on X as “a new trilateral technology and innovation partnership” formed after meeting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the three countries will deepen cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, strengthen supply-chain resilience with a focus on critical minerals, and expand collaboration in green energy and advanced manufacturing.
The partnership will also explore AI applications that can improve citizen services across the three economies. The ministry said the arrangement “will draw on the natural strengths of the three countries” and is intended to complement bilateral efforts while widening cooperation across three continents and three oceans.
