K V Dipu - Senior President  & Head - Operations & Customer Service,

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd.

It was one of those quiet Monday mornings. I was making chai, the house still echoing with the sleepiness of a new week. My 13-year-old son, half-dressed for school, looked up from his cricket bat and asked me a question that stopped me mid-stir.

“Dad,” he said, “if AI is so smart, can it make me a better cricketer?”

I chuckled. Not because the question was silly - but because it was anything but. If a child is already thinking about outsourcing self-improvement to AI, it’s a gentle but firm reminder to us adults that the machines we’re building today are not just tools - they’re teachers, coaches, judges, and sometimes, decision-makers.

And that’s exactly why we need to talk about Responsible AI.

The Power Without Conscience

Let’s simplify it. Imagine AI is Ironman’s suit. Fast, powerful, data-fueled, and capable of things the human mind alone cannot fathom. But without Tony Stark inside - the person with a moral compass - it’s just a supercharged weapon waiting for an accident.

AI is no longer sci-fi. In India, 74% of enterprises have already adopted AI in some form, according to PwC India’s 2024 AI Outlook. But here’s the rub: only 37% have built any kind of ethical or responsible framework around it. We are giving the steering wheel to the engine without teaching it where the brakes are.

Why It Matters - Now More Than Ever

Let’s take a small detour to 2016. Microsoft released Tay, an AI chatbot on Twitter, meant to learn human conversations. What started as a fun experiment ended within 24 hours - because Tay, after consuming hate-filled tweets, turned into a racist troll. All on its own.

The lesson? AI learns what we teach it. It amplifies what it sees. And unlike humans, it doesn’t pause to question morality unless we explicitly tell it to.

And it’s not just about chatbots. In sectors like insurance, finance, and healthcare, AI is already influencing decisions that can change - or ruin - lives. Approving a health claim. Rejecting a credit application. Flagging a fraud case. These are not minor acts. They require fairness, empathy, and explainability.

The Human, The Machine, and The Mirror Test

Responsible AI isn't just a checkbox or a legal formality. It is a culture. A way of thinking. A series of questions we must ask before every model goes live: Is it fair? Is it explainable? Is it safe?

But above all - here’s the litmus test I love the most: If I were the customer, would I be okay with this AI decision?

If the answer isn’t an unequivocal yes, then we go back to the whiteboard.

We often talk about digital transformation as if it’s a race to some magical finish line. But Responsible AI reminds us that it's not a sprint - it's a guided walk. One where every step must be conscious, considered, and compassionate.

The Road Ahead: Guardrails for a Giant

The Government of India, through NITI Aayog, has already outlined its commitment to ethical AI, especially in public-facing applications. Globally, 85% of CEOs in IBM’s 2023 AI Ethics Survey said that responsible AI is critical to earning trust - yet only 1 in 5 has operationalized it.

The gap between knowing and doing is where businesses can either win or fall behind. And as we increasingly bring AI into the core of our operations, it’s our collective responsibility to train not just models - but minds.

Let’s Not Just Build Smart AI. Let’s Build Good AI.

Because, at the end of the day, AI is not about artificial intelligence. It’s about amplified intent. And what we do with that intent will define whether AI becomes a trusted ally or an unpredictable adversary.

As I handed my son his water bottle and cricket gloves, I told him, “Yes, AI can help you improve your cricket. But it’s you who must want to improve.”

He smiled, picked up his bat, and ran out the door. Sometimes, the most profound answers come wrapped in the simplest truths.

"With great algorithms, comes greater accountability." - Adapted from Uncle Ben, fine-tuned for the AI era.