- India's AI Impact Summit highlighted global collaboration, inclusion, and trust in AI development
- Norway and India see AI as key to joint innovation across energy, healthcare, and cybersecurity
- Global AI standards are needed to balance innovation with ethics and public safety
At a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping economies, governance and societies, Norway's Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance Karianne Oldernes Tung believes India's AI Impact Summit has sent a powerful signal to the world: that the future of AI must be collaborative, inclusive and grounded in trust.
Speaking to NDTV's Senior Executive Editor Aditya Raj Kaul on the sidelines of the summit in New Delhi, Tung said the scale and ambition of the event – with over 200,000 participants, 20 heads of state and more than 45 ministerial delegations – underscored India's growing role as a convener in global technology governance. More importantly, she noted, India is consciously creating space for the Global South to be an equal stakeholder in shaping the AI ecosystem.
"The message from this summit is clear – AI has to be for everyone, every country and every society," Tung said. "We must make sure no country and no humankind is left behind."
India-Norway: Beyond Trade To Technology
Highlighting the long-standing ties between India and Norway, the minister pointed to the emerging opportunities under the EFTA-India trade agreement, particularly in sectors such as maritime industries, energy, biotechnology, healthcare, cybersecurity and digital technologies. Artificial intelligence, she stressed, cuts across all these domains.
"There is huge potential not just to collaborate but to innovate in a trustworthy and ethical way," she said, adding that India's success in scaling digital public infrastructure and nurturing talent makes it a natural partner for Norway in advanced technologies.
Tung also emphasised the people-to-people connection, recalling her own experience working at a Norwegian university with a large number of Indian students. "That strong academic and talent exchange builds trust, and trust is essential for deeper technological cooperation," she noted.
Ethics, Regulation And Trust
On the question of AI regulation, Tung made it clear that innovation and regulation are not opposing forces. Describing AI as a "borderless technology", she argued for global standards that enable innovation while ensuring safety, accountability and ethical use.
"If technology is not ethical and trustworthy, people will not believe in it – and then we lose its benefits," she said. Norway, she pointed out, is implementing the EU AI Act, which she described as a robust framework to ensure responsible AI deployment. Her presence in India, she added, was also about advocating for global alignment on AI governance.
She called for strong public-private partnerships, saying governments must work closely with industry and civil society to create frameworks that protect citizens without stifling innovation.
Disinformation And Online Safety
One of the most urgent challenges, according to the Norwegian minister, is the rise of disinformation in an AI-driven social media environment. Warning that false or manipulated content can spread within minutes and trigger real-world harm, she stressed that voluntary measures alone are not enough.
"Artificial intelligence is like a knife," she said. "You can use it to put butter on your bread – or you can use it to kill someone. It depends on how you choose to use it."
This, she argued, makes global regulation and shared standards essential, particularly to ensure AI systems comply with international and humanitarian law. Protecting children and young people online, she added, must be a top priority as technology becomes more deeply embedded in everyday life.
A Shared Vision
As she prepared to visit Bharat Mandapam and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tung said Norway's central message to India is one of partnership – using AI as a force for good, inclusion and societal benefit.
"India has shown what digital inclusiveness at scale looks like," she said. "That gives me a strong belief that closer collaboration between India and Norway can shape a more ethical and human-centric AI future."
In an era of rapid technological change and global uncertainty, Tung's message from New Delhi was unambiguous: the future of AI will be decided not by a few, but by many – together.
