Meta's Alexandr Wang bats for bold strategies; public-private partnership to unlock AI's potential

New Delhi (PTI): Realising AI's full promise hinges on getting policies right as well as investment, Meta's Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang said on Thursday as he called for bold national strategies and deep public-private collaboration to unlock its full potential.

Addressing the AI Impact Summit in the national capital, Wang underscored the need for the government and industry to work together to deliver the four building blocks of artificial intelligence -- talent, energy, data and compute -- and to design and deploy AI that works for citizens and economies.

He batted for policies that encourage innovation, "not patchworks of inconsistent regulations that make it harder".

"I don't want these amazing technologies to be one-size-fits-all. I want them to serve your needs, designed for the challenges and opportunities that are unique to India, to societies across the Global South and all over the world," Wang said.

AI must work for individuals regardless of geography, language or culture, he said.

"That's only going to be possible if the public and private sectors are on the same side. We need to be partners, working together in this period of openness and collaboration with a sense of shared ambition," he said.

Outlining Meta's long-term vision, Wang described the concept of "personal super intelligence" -- AI systems deeply personalised for individual users.

"Our vision is personal super intelligence, AI that knows you, your goals, your interests, and helps you with whatever you're focused on doing," he said.

Wang painted a picture of AI assistants that can help individuals manage busy lives by creating customized health plans covering diet, exercise and sleep, tracking progress on personal or professional projects, coordinating events, arranging invitations, and offering timely reminders.

Such systems, he said, could also enable users to pursue hobbies like fishing or painting, plan travel, and become more engaged members of their communities by freeing up time and mental bandwidth.

"Say you want to be healthier, your personal AI can help you see through a personal health plan covering diet, exercise and sleep and your daily routine, or you have a project you'd like to get done, like putting on an event, you can track your progress, reach out to venues, arrange invites, remind you of things you haven't considered. And more. If you'd love to go fishing or paint or want to travel more, it can help free you up so you can do more of these things. I mean, give you advice when you need it, and or help you show up as a better friend or in your community," Wang said.