How 2024 Redefined AI - A Look Back at Policy Milestones
Neural Network: A Monthly Newsletter on AI Policy and its Multistakeholder Regulation, from the AI Knowledge Consortium
From revolutionary technological breakthroughs to debates on safety and ethics, 2024 was the year Artificial Intelligence went mainstream. Here’s AIKC’s look back at the key policy developments that defined the year in AI.
India’s Big AI Moments
Launch of IndiaAI Mission: Laying the Groundwork for AI Leadership
The IndiaAI Mission boosted India’s AI ambitions, through an approved outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore. The Mission is focussed on democratising computing access, improving data quality, fostering indigenous AI development, attracting top talent, enabling industry collaboration, supporting startups, and driving socially impactful AI projects
Several initiatives were launched by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) through the year, including: empanelment of AI Compute and Cloud Services, launch of IndiaAI Application Development Initiative to address challenges faced by government institutions in critical sectors, and FutureSkills Fellowships targeted AI skilling for students. In addition, MeitY also floated an Expression of Interest (EOI) for Responsible AI projects in areas like synthetic data, AI bias mitigation, and privacy tools.
Such initiatives are likely to continue in 2025. For example, MeitY published a draft Report on AI Governance Guidelines Development, which is up for consultation this month. AIKC will organise a civil society and industry consultation on this draft soon. Do get in touch in case you want to take part.
India’s GPAI Presidency: A Year of Global AI Diplomacy
India was the lead chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) in 2024. Under India’s leadership, GPAI added two thematic priorities: sustainable agriculture and Collaborative AI for Global Partnership (CAIGP) in December 2023. Over 2024, the country organised several convenings around these themes, with a special focus on addressing critical gaps in AI access and innovation for the Global South.
A major highlight was the announcement of the GPAI-OECD integration at the Global IndiaAI Summit in New Delhi in July 2024. This partnership brought all 44 OECD members and GPAI countries together under the GPAI umbrella.
In December, India passed the baton to Serbia as the lead chair of GPAI. The initiatives launched in 2024 are expected to continue in 2025, aiming to advance inclusive AI frameworks, strengthen collaborations, and promote equitable access to AI globally.
India's Efforts in Developing AI Standards
India took several steps this year towards developing AI-related standards. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is reported to be collaborating with key ministries and industry stakeholders to formulate a comprehensive set of standards for AI-related applications in India. The BIS has also taken a lead in proposing several AI-related standards at the International Organisation for Standardisation. The Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) also released the draft standard to assess AI robustness in telecom networks, following its 2023 fairness assessment standard.
At the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly 2024, India proposed standards for AI in telecommunications, enhancing digital infrastructure, and supporting cybersecurity.
We will be tracking these developments closely in the coming year. Multistakeholderism is essential in developing AI technical standards to ensure they are inclusive, equitable, and reflective of diverse perspectives. AI impacts a wide range of sectors—public services, private enterprises, civil society, and academia—making it critical to engage all relevant stakeholders.
Global Rules for Global Technology
Council of Europe Adopts First Ever Legally Binding AI Treaty while UN adopts Pact for the Future
The Council of Europe adopted the world’s first legally binding AI treaty, the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law. Backed by the US, EU, UK, and Japan, the treaty creates a global framework to ensure AI systems uphold human rights and democracy. It mandates transparency, accountability, and safeguards, with provisions to ban high-risk AI in both public and private sectors when necessary. But matters of national defence do not fall within the scope of the Convention.
Additionally, the UN Summit of the Future adopted the Pact for the Future, encompassing the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and a Declaration on Future Generations. The GDC draws on insights from the Governing AI for Humanity report, and proposed the establishment of an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, a Global Dialogue on AI Governance, and innovative voluntary financing mechanisms to support AI capacity-building, particularly in developing countries.
UNGA Adopts Resolutions on AI Governance and Capacity Building
The UN General Assembly adopted a US-led resolution on AI regulation, supported by over 120 member states. The resolution emphasises the protection of human rights throughout AI's lifecycle, equitable access to AI technologies, and the need to close the digital divide between nations. It also advocates for global cooperation for safe, secure, and trustworthy AI governance frameworks.
Additionally, UNGA also adopted a China-led resolution titled Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity Building on Artificial Intelligence, which emphasises the democratisation of AI infrastructure. It calls on the international community to increase capital investment and long-term financial support for capacity-building in developing nations, ensuring access to digital and AI technologies.
AI Regulations gained momentum in the European Union, still unclear if others will follow
The EU AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive AI regulation, took effect in August 2024 across all 27 EU member states. With phased enforcement starting in February 2025, the Act establishes a legal framework for AI, focusing on transparency, accountability, and risk-based oversight. Non-compliance could lead to penalties of up to €35 million or 7% of global turnover. By 2026, all member states will be required to establish operational regulatory sandboxes to support AI innovation.
Meanwhile, the U.S. grappled with regulating AI. California’s Senate Bill 1047, which proposed mandatory safety testing and killswitches for advanced AI, was vetoed by Governor Newsom, citing its narrow focus.
In China, draft measures were released by the Cyberspace Administration which mandate explicit and implicit labeling of AI-generated content, including watermarks and disclaimers, to prevent misinformation.
Despite the EU’s first steps, the complexity of regulating AI across diverse use cases and jurisdictions means that globally harmonised laws on AI are unlikely to emerge anytime soon, even as efforts intensify in 2025.
Courts Grappled with Complexities of Generative AI and Copyright
Global Surge in Copyright Suits Targeting Generative AI
Generative AI companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic are facing a wave of copyright lawsuits globally, with courts examining how AI systems use copyrighted materials for training. These cases highlight a growing tension between protecting intellectual property rights and fostering AI innovation.
In India, news agency ANI filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in the Delhi High Court, alleging unauthorised use of its content to train ChatGPT. ANI claims the AI generates verbatim news and attributes false statements, damaging its reputation. OpenAI defends itself under fair use principles but faces jurisdictional challenges.
With no globally harmonised legal framework or significant international precedents, 2025 is expected to see an escalation of such disputes. While courts worldwide will likely attempt to clarify fair use and data rights, the complexity of AI training processes suggests these issues will remain unresolved, leaving the balance between innovation and copyright protections in flux.
A Nobel Moment for AI in 2024
AI Pioneers win Nobel Prize: Milestone for Machine Learning
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Professor Geoffrey Hinton and Professor John Hopfield for their groundbreaking contributions to neural networks and pattern recognition. Hopfield’s work on associative memory revolutionised AI's ability to recall and interpret complex data, while Hinton’s deep learning innovations enabled machines to learn and make accurate decisions autonomously. These advancements underpin many modern technologies, from healthcare diagnostics to space exploration. The award reflects the growing recognition of AI and machine learning as transformative forces in science and society, shaping our future in profound ways.
AIKC Highlights from the Last Year:
The AIKC kicked off convenings in 2024 with its inaugural event, Locating Equitable Compute for AI, a workshop aimed at fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration on AI governance. The discussions highlighted critical challenges in AI compute infrastructure, including costs, resource accessibility, and the role of partnerships, with a particular focus on developing countries.
In May 2024, AIKC organized a workshop, Rethinking Liability Regimes in an AI World, bringing together relevant stakeholders to evaluate the suitability of current liability regimes for AI users, publishers, and intermediaries. This crystallised into a report, Crafting a Liability Regime for AI Systems in India, by think-tanks Esya Centre and Cybersaathi, examining whether diverse AI systems require homogenous liability rules or a more contextual framework.
New Indian Consumer Initiative & Transitions Research organised a roundtable in July 2024 on Catalysing AI for Climate Action and Finance. Climate Bonds Initiative served as the knowledge partner, and the convening was supported by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. The event highlighted AI’s potential in organising unstructured data to assess risks and develop strategies in energy, transport, and agriculture.
In October 2024, AIKC concluded its first case study competition held in association with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Over 2100 students participated in the competition from programmes and universities across India and submitted thought-provoking insights on the role of AI in shaping the future of Bharat. We will continue our efforts to increase outreach and interaction with students across the country in 2025.
We look forward to an even more invigorating and impactful 2025!
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Email us at: Secretariat@aiknowledgeconsortium.com.
(Cover image generated on Dall-E for the purposes of this newsletter).