India’s strong voice at Davos: Global interest in democratising technology, says Ashwini Vaishnav

Davos: Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Tuesday said there is a lot of curiosity in the world about democratizing technology. He also stressed that this is the right way to ensure that the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological innovations reach everyone. Speaking at a press conference held here on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting, Vaishnav said that the central government would welcome more states to join the WEF delegations, taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of cooperative federalism. Responding to a question, he said that this year 10 states are being represented in Davos and the more the number of states, the better. 

He said, “On behalf of the central government, we welcome all the states that want to participate. We help them become a part of it and also arrange necessary meetings with business people and other prominent personalities here.” At the same press conference, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that India’s presence in Davos is being effectively registered and “we all have come here following the mantra of cooperative federalism given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” 

“For Maharashtra, we have signed some strategic and knowledge partnerships this time, including in areas like medical technology (MedTech),” he said. Vaishnav said that the top people from the semiconductor industry present at the meeting praised the work being done in India. “Similarly, our work in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and democratization of technology is also getting wide recognition,” he said. On the question of trade talks with the US, the minister said, “We are a trusted partner for the world.”