Supreme Court of India urges authorities to consider AI ethics guidelines

The Supreme Court of India has directed the central government and other authorities to consider suggestions regarding the creation of binding guidelines for ethics and transparency in artificial intelligence. The request follows a public interest litigation filed by advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami.

The petition seeks the disclosure of all existing and proposed high-risk AI systems used by government agencies in sectors such as policing, welfare, surveillance, and content regulation. Goswami has called for the formation of a high-powered expert committee to establish mandatory algorithmic impact assessments, bias audits, and human-in-the-loop oversight for high-risk governmental AI systems.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana noted that the matter involves highly technical issues within the policy domain. While disposing of the petition without ruling on its merits, the court advised the petitioner to submit the writ petition as a representation to the authorities and encouraged the government to consider the proposed measures.