Institutional knowledge of humans central to developing accountable AI for Parliaments: Harivansh

New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh on Thursday highlighted the importance of institutional memory of humans in shaping the application of Artificial Intelligence in legislatures, stressing that if AI is to enter legislatures, it must become accountable, contextual and trustworthy.

Making these remarks at the workshop on the adoption of AI in Parliament at the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth here, Harivansh said Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Parliament must be rooted in truth, bound by ethics, guided by human judgment, and accountable to democratic values.

He also listed the various digital and AI tools being developed for efficient functioning within the Indian Parliament.

Contextualising the need for hybrid approach to developing AI, he said, "When humans enter a new organisation, they bring with them two essential attributes -- skill and knowledge.

"Skills can be acquired, transferred or outsourced. Knowledge, however, is contextual and deeply embedded within the institution.

"Parliamentary knowledge is unique. It is built over decades through debates, rulings, conventions and constitutional practices. The same principle applies equally to Artificial Intelligence." He added that institutional knowledge of humans is central to developing accountable AI for Parliaments.

"Human oversight and the ability to intervene must be integral to the system. Innovation without restraint carries risk, while restraint without innovation can lead to stagnation," he said.

Therefore, Parliament must maintain a careful and deliberate balance between the two, he said.

Elaborating on the practical use cases of AI already underway in Parliament, Harivansh cited the use of models to carry out translation of business documents, analysis of parliamentary debates and framing of questions across 22 languages.

"We have developed a Parliamentary Language Dictionary consisting of approximately 48,000 terms, which has been integrated into a custom AI model designed exclusively for parliamentary use.

"This has significantly increased acceptability among the internal users and improved its accuracy. Human translators remain firmly in control, with AI serving as an assistive tool," he said.

Harivansh, however, said that in the legislative context, "AI in Parliament must be rooted in truth, bound by ethics, guided by human judgment, and accountable to democratic values".

In his concluding remarks, Harivansh called for greater parliamentary cooperation on the application of AI among the Commonwealth nations.

The two-day conference is being hosted by India for the fourth time, with the previous ones hosted in 1971, 1986 and 2010.

The conference was inaugurated in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Central Hall of Parliament (Samvidhan Sadan).

In his address, Harivansh said the presence of delegates from across the globe reflects India's philosophy that the world is one family.

The meet is an opportunity to collectively reflect upon the evolving challenges and exchange best practices, he said.

He also asserted that Indian parliamentary system draws its strength from the age-old tradition of dialogue, debate and dissent -- values which are central to a true democracy.

Harivansh reminded the gathering that the presiding officers have the responsibility to uphold the dignity of legislatures, ensuring fairness in proceedings and safeguarding democratic norms. PTI NAB/SKC ARI