AI & Telecom: Power Duo Faces Trust Hurdles

Artificial Intelligence and telecom infrastructure have become deeply intertwined, with telecom networks serving as AI's primary carriers and AI providing an intelligent layer for telecom operations.

Telecom service providers are increasingly integrating AI for crucial functions such as network planning, optimizing operations, predicting maintenance needs, and enhancing consumer experience. These applications combat fraud, detect spam, and automate complex workflows, significantly improving efficiency.

However, the widespread adoption of AI in telecommunications introduces significant concerns. Automated decisions made by AI systems can affect millions of users, necessitating a strong emphasis on transparency, accountability, and human oversight in their deployment.

To manage the growing complexity of telecom networks, especially with the rollout of 5G, rapid data growth, and the expansion of the Internet of Things, AI has become indispensable. In India, with over 1.2 billion telecom subscribers and around 1 billion data users, AI is fundamentally reshaping the sector.

Discussions surrounding data ownership, privacy, bias, transparency, and accountability are now at the forefront. Stakeholders are calling for adaptive frameworks that balance innovation with safeguards, focusing on security, privacy, protection, and accountability.

Furthermore, there is a critical need to invest in skilled manpower. The industry requires a revamp of training systems to ensure the workforce is adequately skilled, re-skilled, and up-skilled to meet evolving industry requirements. Future initiatives, like the IndiaAI Impact Summit, aim to address these challenges by gathering inputs from various working groups to form a declaration document.