Dr. Sanjay Pradhan, President of the World Forum for Ethics in Business, described artificial intelligence as humanity’s greatest ethical test while speaking at an event organised by the Indian Advertising Association at the Free Press Journal headquarters in Mumbai. He stressed that the choices made today will determine whether technology serves humanity or whether people become servants of AI.

At a lively International Advertising Association (IAA) and AIAI event hosted at the Free Press Journal headquarters in Mumbai, Dr. Sanjay Pradhan, the President of the World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), delivered a powerful message urging greater ethical accountability in the realm of artificial intelligence. Addressing a full house, Pradhan articulated a comprehensive vision for collaborative efforts between businesses, governments, and individualsto ensure AI benefits humanity, rather than the other way around.

AI: Humanity's greatest ethical test

Opening with a show of hands that revealed a room deeply divided on whether AI represents a force for good or a civilisational risk, Pradhan wasted no time in framing the stakes. "Artificial intelligence has rapidly become one of the most powerful technologies that humanity has ever created," he said. "It is unlocking breakthroughs in medicine, science, and creativity at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago."

Yet, he cautioned, the same technology carries profound dangers. "The same technology that can transform lives can also inflict profound harm. It can turbocharge disinformation faster than truth can travel. It can steal our privacy, deepen injustice, and rob hundreds of millions of people of their livelihoods," he warned, citing concerns raised by AI pioneers including Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI.