India's Trust Layer Challenges Global AI Debates with Ethical Model

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated the nation's commitment to establishing a global framework for ethical artificial intelligence (AI) during the Global Fintech Fest 2025 in Mumbai. Emphasizing inclusivity and democratic governance, Modi outlined India's AI strategy, anchored on three principles: equitable access, population-scale skilling, and responsible deployment. The Prime Minister highlighted that India's experience with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)-including platforms like Aadhaar, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and DigiLocker-provides a scalable model for ethical AI adoption globally Prime Minister of India^[1].

India's approach to AI, according to Modi, prioritizes people-centric design, ensuring trust and transparency in digital finance. He noted that India has already built a "trust layer" to address data and privacy concerns, contrasting this with ongoing global debates about AI safety CryptoTale^[2]. The Prime Minister underscored that AI should empower first-time users by resolving errors swiftly, thereby fostering digital inclusion and trust in financial services Fortune India^[3].

The event also marked a significant step in India-United Kingdom collaboration, with the launch of the India-UK Fintech Corridor. This initiative aims to deepen financial integration between the two nations, leveraging the UK's research expertise and India's scale and talent to pilot startups and enhance cross-border investment Business Today^[4]. Modi highlighted that the upcoming India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would further strengthen this partnership, enabling companies to maximize benefits from the agreement Odisha TV^[5].

India's digital infrastructure has already demonstrated global relevance. The country's fintech ecosystem, bolstered by innovations like ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) and OCEN (Open Credit Enablement Network), has transformed small businesses and MSMEs by expanding market access and credit availability The Tribune^[6]. UPI's success, with over 20 billion monthly transactions, was cited as a testament to India's ability to democratize technology PM India^[7].

The Prime Minister also emphasized the importance of open-source platforms, such as MOSIP (Modular Open-Source Identity Platform), which has been adopted by over 25 countries to build sovereign digital identity systems The Tribune^[8]. India's goal, he stated, is to share its digital innovations as "global public goods," fostering cooperation rather than offering digital aid Prime Minister of India^[1].

With the AI Impact Summit slated to be hosted in India next year, Modi positioned the nation as a leader in shaping the ethical and inclusive future of AI. He called for global collaboration to ensure AI benefits all nations, particularly those in the Global South PM India^[9].