The AI-powered alerts systems saved over five lakh lives during the 2024 Kerala floods, said Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, MoS, Communications while addressing the International AI Summit during the ongoing India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi on Thursday (October 9, 2025).
MoS said that India uses AI to empower, protect, and uplift its people.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) uses the Cell Broadcast System (CBS) to send emergency alerts during disasters like floods, cyclones, or earthquakes. These alerts are short messages sent to all mobile phones in affected areas, even without the internet.
The DoT works with agencies like IMD and NDMA to send alerts in multiple languages. Testing began in 2023, with wider rollout in 2025.
“India’s innovations are not about technology for technology’s sake, they are about transforming lives,” he said.
He also said that digital technologies are reshaping everyday life. “UPI has made seamless payments universal, ONDC has opened e-commerce opportunities for small sellers,” he added.
Dr. Pemmasani said that the Department of Telecommunications’ AI-driven Fraud Risk Indicator, has blocked 4.8 million scams and prevented losses of ₹140 crore.
He also talked about the grave risk deepfake videos possess. “Deepfakes are undermining democracy,” he told, referring to more than 50 fake videos that circulated during the 2024 elections, spreading misinformation and eroding trust in public discourse.
He highlighted the issue of algorithmic bias, saying, “AI hiring tools rejected 40% more women in IT jobs, and lending algorithms denied rural applicants unfairly.” MoS talked about the risks of automation and privacy violations, warning that by 2030, 15–30% of jobs in IT and manufacturing could face displacement.
He pointed out that facial recognition systems have misidentified minorities with up to 80% error rates, while in healthcare, AI misdiagnosed 20% of tuberculosis cases in Uttar Pradesh hospitals.
