Kolkata: Dr Suman Chakraborty, Director, IIT Kharagpur, didn’t mince his words when he urged the students to always consider the human component in decision-making instead of depending on data and AI. The educationist, also an alumnus of a Jesuit institution, delivered the second peace lecture series at St Xavier’s University, Kolkata, on Monday.
Titled, ‘Ethical Leadership in Public Governance’, Dr Chakraborty emphasised the fact that AI-driven analysis was often biased and ethically ambiguous and one must be led by conscience and moral judgment in issues of public governance.
Rev Dr John Felix Raj, Vice-Chancellor, reiterated: “Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice and the spirit of fostering harmony in society.” Meanwhile, Dr Chakraborty appealed to the students’ community to follow the 10 commandments concluded in the future, including the principles of inclusivity, ethics and transparency while engaging with AI.
“First, never outsource your conscience to a system, however intelligent it may be. Algorithms can assist decisions; they cannot replace moral responsibility. Secondly, make every decision auditable-not just technically, but ethically. If you cannot explain a decision in human terms, you should not take it,” he said. The keynote speaker reminded the congregation that the next century will not be defined by how intelligent the machines become. It will be defined by how ethical the leaders remain. “When history looks back at your generation, it will not be said that you built powerful systems. It will say that you built a just society in an age where injustice could have been automated,” he said.
The peace lecture was followed by the distribution of silver and bronze medals by the chief guest and the V-C to the rank holders from various departments.