The use of artificial intelligence i.e. AI is increasing rapidly in the country’s telecom sector. Telecom companies are taking its help a lot to improve their networks and services. But with this growing technology comes many new threats. Keeping this in mind Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has taken a big step. TRAI has issued a comprehensive draft framework i.e. draft guidelines for safe and responsible use of AI in telecom networks and services. This new step will play an important role in curbing the arbitrariness of telecom companies and ensuring the safety of common consumers.
Telecom companies will be directly liable in case of malpractice
It is often seen that companies shy away from technology when it is flawed. But in this new proposed structure of TRA, the responsibility is very clear. The licensed telecom companies themselves will be responsible for the results of any AI system used in the telecom network. The most important thing about this is that sourcing will not matter. It is clear that whether the AI system is developed by the company itself or purchased from an outside vendor, any impact arising from it will be the ultimate responsibility of the telecom operator.
The policy has to be passed by the board, a special committee will be constituted.
Under the new rules, every telecom company will now have to prepare an internal AI policy. It is not enough to just frame the rules, but it will be mandatory to get the policy approved by the company’s board of directors or any equivalent governing body. Apart from this, the companies will also have to form a dedicated administrative and safety committee at their level. This committee will take full responsibility for the operation of AI, its security as well as human supervision.
AI errors will be divided into four parts
Strict rules have also been made for reporting if there is a problem with the AI system. TRAI has divided AI-related incidents into four categories based on their severity. These include very severe, severe, moderate and mild categories. If a matter falls under the category of ‘extremely serious’ or ‘serious’, the telecom company has to report to TRAI within a prescribed time frame and in a prescribed format. Providing this information has been made absolutely mandatory for companies.
Immediate action will be taken on spam calls without complaint
Common people are the most bothered by the spam and fraud calls they receive every day. TRAI has already directed all telecom operators to identify suspected spam or fraud calls with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). Now the rules have been made stricter in this direction. Companies no longer have to wait for customer complaints. They themselves have to step up and take action against spammers. Numbers repeatedly flagged as suspicious will have their services terminated immediately. Along with this, re-KYC of such numbers is also included.
Currently, there is no separate legislation to regulate AI in India. Currently, this technology is being regulated through a combination of old and new digital laws. However, in the recent past, the government has implemented many strict regulations to prevent the misuse of AI along with deepfakes. The government is also currently working on a new comprehensive AI law for the country.
