Not just ChatGPT and Bard, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar is also on the dark internet

If you thought only the GenZ and the startup world find artificial intelligence (AI) tools cool, you didn’t know that Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also uses “all” platforms, be it ChatGPT, Bard or the dark web.

When asked which AI platforms he has been using, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology said, he is "all over the place, even on the dark internet."

“I'm platform agnostic as I should be. I'm also on the dark internet.. So, if you see me in a chatroom there .. Somebody who has got a moniker of a minister, that's me, trying to eavesdrop and see what you guys are talking about,” he told CNBC-TV18 Managing Editor Shereen Bhan at the CNBC-TV18 and Moneycontrol Global AI Conclave in Bengaluru.

While he spoke about being concerned about deep fakes and social media regulations, when asked what games he likes to play with his kids, he said, “my kids don't listen to me, so I don't tell them anything!”

He, however, advises them about how to tackle misinformation online and how they can shield themselves against becoming a victim of deepfake tech. 'Whether you're a rocketman or from Hawaii, it's the platform's responsibility to ensure users are safe', he said.

Chandrasekhar’s light hearted remarks came after he called artificial intelligence the "greatest invention of our time". He stressed on the need for a global framework that regulates AI without demonising it.

"What the world did not notice in 10 years of social media about safety and user harm and criminality, we should certainly wake up to it now and create not an American framework or a European Framework or an Indian framework, but a global framework," Chandrasekhar said, adding, "Our experiences with social media, the toxicity and the crime and the harms has shown us that, notwithstanding any country having great rules and laws and regulations."

Chandrasekhar emphasised the seismic shift in global perspectives post-ChatGPT, highlighting a notable transition toward a more nuanced and safety-centric approach.

"We must move away from light touch regulation — platforms have to be accountable under law to deliver safety. We need to move away from assuming that no guardrails and government intervention are required when it comes to technological innovation — the self-regulation train left the station many months or even years ago," Chandrasekhar said.