CONTEXT: In 2023, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on social and economic relations was significant, attributed to the success of large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, in solving complex tasks. Concerns about the dangers of LLMs and publicly deployed AI systems started to be voiced by both industry and state actors, highlighting potential perils that were previously ignored by the industry.

Recent advancements:

• Microsoft invested $10 billion in the OpenAI project, and Google introduced its chatbot, Bard, leading to increased hardware profits for GPU manufacturer NVIDIA, reaching a market cap of a trillion dollars.
• Amazon launched Bedrock, Google aimed to improve its search engine using generative models, and Microsoft integrated generative models for Windows 11 navigation.

Challenges of such advancements:

• Job Displacement: AI automation has the potential to displace human jobs, leading to unemployment and necessitating workforce re-skilling or retraining.
• Ethical Concerns: AI introduces ethical issues like algorithmic bias, privacy invasion, and ethical implications related to autonomous decision-making systems.
• Reliance on Data Quality: AI systems heavily depend on the availability and quality of data. Biased or incomplete data can result in inaccurate outcomes or reinforce existing biases in decision-making.
• Security Risks: AI systems are susceptible to cyber attacks and exploitation, allowing malicious actors to manipulate algorithms or misuse AI-powered tools, posing security risks.
• Overreliance: Blindly relying on AI without proper human oversight can lead to errors, especially in unfamiliar or unexpected situations.
• Lack of Transparency: Certain AI models, like deep learning neural networks, may be challenging to interpret, creating difficulties in understanding the rationale behind their decisions (referred to as the "black box" problem).
• Initial Investment and Maintenance Costs: Implementing AI systems involves substantial upfront investment in infrastructure, data collection, and model development. Additionally, maintaining and updating AI systems can be costly.

Issues with AI regulations:

• In July, the US government persuaded major AI companies to abide by "voluntary rules" for product safety, but these rules lacked consideration for broader political-economic factors and were not enforceable.
• In Europe, the AI Act was proposed in April and passed into law by December, becoming the world's first such law. It includes concrete red lines, such as prohibiting certain uses of biometric identification and emotion detection. Criticisms of the AI Act include gaps in regulation, such as excluding emotion detection outside workplaces, and a lack of industrial policy addressing ownership, labor impact, and profit distribution.

Guidelines for Ethical and Responsible AI:

Ethical Deployment: Prioritize ethical, transparent, and accountable development and deployment of AI systems. Address biases, ensure privacy and data protection, and establish clear regulations and guidelines.

Research and Innovation: Continue investing in fundamental research for developing new algorithms and models in the rapidly evolving field of AI. Ongoing innovation is crucial for advancing capabilities and achieving breakthroughs.

Data Quality and Accessibility: Focus on improving data collection, cleaning, and labeling processes for effective AI model training. Promote data sharing and accessibility to encourage collaboration across different domains.

Human-AI Collaboration: Design AI systems to augment human capabilities rather than replace them entirely. Emphasize collaboration between humans and AI for more effective solutions, including user-centered design.

Domain-Specific Applications: Identify and prioritize specific domains, such as healthcare, transportation, finance, and education, where AI can have a significant positive impact. Tailor AI solutions to address challenges in these specific fields.

Education and Workforce Development: Prepare the workforce for an AI-driven future through education and upskilling programs. Foster interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships between academia, industry, and government.

International Collaboration and Standards: Collaborate internationally to share knowledge and best practices in AI development. Establish global standards and frameworks to ensure interoperability, fairness, and security in AI systems' development and deployment.

Advantages of AI:

• Enhanced Accuracy: AI algorithms analyze extensive data with precision, reducing errors and enhancing accuracy in applications such as diagnostics, predictions, and decision-making.
• Improved Decision-Making: AI offers data-driven insights and analysis, aiding informed decision-making by identifying patterns, trends, and potential risks not easily discernible to humans.
• Innovation and Discovery: AI fosters innovation, facilitating new discoveries, revealing hidden insights, and pushing boundaries in fields like healthcare, science, and technology.
• Increased Productivity: AI tools and systems enhance human capabilities, resulting in heightened productivity and output across various industries and sectors.
• Continuous Learning and Adaptability: AI systems learn from new data and experiences, continually improving performance, adapting to changes, and staying current with evolving trends.
• Exploration and Space Research: AI is crucial in space exploration, enabling autonomous spacecraft, robotic exploration, and data analysis in remote and hazardous environments.

Artificial Intelligence

AI refers to the capability of a computer or a computer-controlled robot to perform tasks typically carried out by humans, requiring human-like intelligence and discernment. While no AI system can replicate the broad range of tasks performed by a human, certain AI technologies can excel in specific activities.

Key Characteristics & Components: AI's fundamental characteristic is its capacity to reason and make decisions that optimize the likelihood of achieving a particular objective. Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of AI, focusing on systems that can learn and improve from experience. Deep Learning (DL) techniques facilitate automatic learning by processing large volumes of unstructured data, including text, images, or video.

Large Language Models (LLMs):

LLMs are a specific category of generative AI models designed to comprehend and produce human-like text. Constructed using deep learning techniques, especially neural networks, these models can generate coherent and contextually relevant text based on a given prompt or input. A prominent example of LLMs is OpenAI's GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer).

Generative AI:

Generative AI is a subset of artificial intelligence focused on developing systems capable of creating content resembling human-produced output.These systems learn from patterns in existing data and utilize that knowledge to generate new, original content in various forms, including text, images, music, and

Global governance of AI

India:

NITI Aayog has issued guiding documents on AI, including the National Strategy for AI and the Responsible AI for All report. The focus is on social and economic inclusion, innovation, and trustworthiness.

United Kingdom:

Advocates a light-touch approach, urging regulators in various sectors to apply existing regulations to AI. Outlined five principles for companies: safety, security, and robustness; transparency and explainability; fairness; accountability and governance; and contestability and redress.

US:

Introduced a Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights (AIBoR), addressing the economic and civil rights harms of AI. Recommends a sectorally specific approach to AI governance, with policies tailored for sectors like health, labor, and education.

China:

In 2022, China implemented nationally binding regulations targeting specific types of algorithms and AI.

Enacted a law to regulate recommendation algorithms, particularly focusing on information dissemination. As of the end of 2023, challenges in AI policy persist, with a lack of democratic voices and a tendency to surrender the policy process to a few tech companies, which exploit anxieties about AI to distract from concrete interventions.The hope for 2024 is an increased socialization of AI policy, with people taking more control over its imagination and implementation.

Context: Phase 1 of the Bharatmala project deadline has been extended by six years, to FY 2027-28. 

News:

• Project Initiation: The first phase of Bharatmala, unveiled in 2017, aimed for completion by 2022.
• Estimated Cost Approval: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) sanctioned the initial phase with an estimated cost of Rs 5.35 trillion.
• Cost Overrun: The Public Investment Board, under the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, appraised the project and noted a 100% increase in the estimated cost to Rs 10.95 trillion. The per km cost surged from Rs 14 crore to Rs 24 crore, as per the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report.
• Time Overrun: As of November, only 76% (24,416km) of the total 34,800 km project length has been awarded, and merely 42% (15,045 km) has been completed.
• New Deadlines: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) aims to secure all clearances (land acquisition, environmental, etc.) by the end of 2024-25 and award the remaining project. The construction completion deadline has been extended to 2027-28.
• Reasons for Delay:
  •  
  • Escalation in raw material costs.
  •  
  • Increased expenses and lingering disputes related to land acquisition.
  • Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on construction activities.
  • Lack of a systematic prioritization method and unclear completion timelines, as per the CAG report.
  • Rise in Goods and Services Tax rates.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA):

• The CCEA is a Cabinet committee chaired by the Prime Minister
• Functions:
  • Formulation of Economic Policy: The committee is responsible for developing a comprehensive and cohesive economic policy framework for India.
  • Direction and Coordination: It directs and coordinates all economic policies and activities across the country.
  • Price Control: The CCEA oversees the price control of industrial raw materials and products.
  • Performance Review: It conducts reviews of the performance of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

Bharatmala Pariyojna:

• A centrally funded project aimed at the development of roads and highways across India, designed in two phases.
• Objective: The project's goal is to enhance road connectivity, focusing on border areas, coastal roads, major and non-major port connectivity, efficiency improvement of national corridors, development of economic corridors, expressways, inter corridors, and feeder routes.  Integration with Sagarmala is also a key aspect.
• Phase I Overview: This phase concentrates on the development of economic corridors, feeder roads, and expressways, covering 34,800 km out of the total length of 74,942 km.
• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is the overseeing authority.
• Implementing Agencies: Execution of the project involves collaboration with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), and State Public Works Departments.
• Funding Mechanism: The project's financial support is derived from various Sources, including the collection of Cess from Petrol & Diesel (in accordance with the Central Road & Infrastructure Fund Act, 2000), Toll Tax, Monetisation of National Highways through TOT (Toll-Operate-Transfer), Internal & Extra Budgetary Resources (IEBR), and Private Sector Investment.

Context: Recently, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh inaugurated the newly-constructed Sanjauli-Dhalli tunnel.

About  Sanjauli-Dhalli Tunnel:

• Description: A double-lane tunnel spanning approximately 150 meters, constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 47 crore.
• Existing Dhalli Tunnel: Originally built in 1852 as a single-lane passage, the older Dhalli tunnel had exceeded its design life, leading to persistent traffic congestion issues.
• Location: The strategic positioning of the New Sanjauli-Dhalli Tunnel is on the route to popular tourist destinations like Kufri, Naldehra, Tattapani, Narkanda, and Chail.
• Importance:
• Enhanced Connectivity: The tunnel addresses the needs of both residents and visitors, facilitating smoother movement and contributing to the economic growth of the region. Improved connectivity is expected to significantly benefit tourism.
• Infrastructure Modernization: Recognized as the most viable and sustainable solution, the new tunnel alleviates congestion on Shimla’s circular road, representing a step towards modernizing the infrastructure.
• Cultural Promotion: Within the tunnel, 210 hand-painted artworks depicting the culture of Himachal Pradesh adorn the walls. The paintings are themed around the Jatar (Devta) procession of Shimla. Notably, the Choltu dance form depicted in the paintings is a significant expression of "Pahari" dance, particularly in upper Himachal areas like Theog, Rohru, Rampur, and Kotkhai. This dance is performed in devotion to local deities during special occasions. Wide footpaths have been constructed on both sides of the tunnel.

Context: A stone deity worshipped by the Bhils in Madhya Pradesh’s Bagh was recently proved to be a fossilized dinosaur egg.

News:

• Tradition Continuation: Similar to their forebears, the Bhil community has a tradition of venerating ancient stones, with generations worshipping the sunbaked, reddish-brown Kakad Bhairav or Bhilat Baba.
• Rituals: Ceremonies involve offerings, including sacrifices of chickens and sheep, as whispered pleas are made to the approximately oval-shaped deity.
• Deity Description: The deity, characterized by a weathered face adorned with a black tilak and a distinctive handlebar mustache, is revered for blessings related to bountiful harvests and the well-being of livestock.
• Tribal Worship Practices in Narmada Valley:
• Fossilized Titanosaurus Eggs: Tribes residing in the Narmada Valley engage in the worship of fossilized Titanosaurus eggs as part of their religious practices.
• Cultural Continuity: These practices reflect the cultural continuity within the Bhil community, emphasizing ancestral reverence and the deep-rooted connection to traditional worship methods.

Bhil Tribes:

• Popularly recognized as the bow men of Rajasthan, the name "Bhil" is derived from the term "villu" or "billu."
• Widespread Presence: Bhils represent the most extensive and widely distributed tribe in South Asia.
• Comprising 39% of Rajasthan's total population, Bhils play a significant demographic role in the region.
• Classified into Central or pure Bhils and Eastern or Rajput Bhils.
• Central Bhils: Found in the mountainous regions of Indian states such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
• Additional Presence: Bhils are also located in the northeastern parts of Tripura.
• Epic Mentions: The name Bhil finds mention in ancient epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, particularly in the context of Eklavya.
• Language Spoken: Bhils communicate in Bhili, an Indo-Aryan language.
• Economic Shift: Traditionally skilled hunters, Bhils have transitioned to agriculture as their primary livelihood SOURCE.
• Separate State Demand: Some Bhil communities advocate for the establishment of a separate state known as Bhil Pradesh.

Dinosaur Fossils National Park:

• Location: Situated in Madhya Pradesh, India, the Dinosaur Fossils National Park is a designated protected area.
• Renowned Site: The park is celebrated for its extensive fossil deposits, offering valuable glimpses into the prehistoric era and the existence of dinosaurs.
• Age of Fossils: The fossil findings in this park date back approximately 6.5 crore years.
• Insights into Prehistory: The rare dinosaur fossils discovered in the park contribute significantly to our understanding of the prehistoric world.

UNESCO Global Geopark Nomination:

• Recent Discovery Impact: Scientists anticipate that the recent discovery will boost the chances of securing India's first UNESCO Global Geopark designation.
• United Nations Recognition: The UNESCO Global Geopark tag, initiated in 2015, is bestowed upon territories with sites globally significant in terms of geology, geomorphology, or paleontology.
• Prestigious Club: If chosen, the Bagh site would become part of an exclusive group, joining 195 UNESCO Geoparks across 48 countries.

Context: While no human probe has ventured far beyond the boundaries of the Solar System, we possess the capability to measure distances spanning billions of light-years.

About:

• The expanse of space beyond Earth is immensely large, leading to the impracticality of using everyday units of measure.
• Distances between planets and, more notably, between stars become staggering when expressed in miles and kilometers.
• To address the challenge of cosmic distances, alternative units such as astronomical units, light years, and parsecs are employed.
• These units provide a more suitable and manageable means of expressing the vast spans between celestial bodies.
• The combined use of these measurement methods is collectively referred to as the cosmic distance ladder.

Astronomical Units (AU):

• Astronomical units serve as a practical measure specifically designed for our solar system.
• One AU represents the distance from the Sun to Earth's orbit, approximately 93 million miles.Example: The distance from the Sun to Saturn's orbit, when expressed in astronomical units, is 9.5 AU.
• Managing Enormous Numbers: Astronomical units offer a convenient way to condense vast distances in our solar system into more manageable numerical values.
• Practical Compression: This unit allows for the compression of truly astronomical figures, making them easier to comprehend and work with.

Light Year:

• A light year signifies the distance covered by a photon of light in one year, equating to approximately 6 trillion miles.
• It represents the distance one could traverse in a year if moving at the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second.     
• Solar System Perspective: Light years offer valuable perspective on solar system distances, emphasizing that light from the Sun takes about eight minutes to reach Earth.

Parsecs:

• Usage in Vast Distances millions of light years.
• One parsec is equivalent to 3.26 light years, providing a more practical measure for these expansive cosmic spans.
• Astronomers employ megaparsecs, where a megaparsec equals one million parsecs, to gauge intergalactic distances.
• In instances where even megaparsecs become impractical due to enormous distances between galaxies, astronomers resort to using redshift as a method to measure these distances.

Context: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has authorized the implementation of card-on-file tokenization (CoFT) in collaboration with card-issuing banks and institutions, aiming to enhance the security and safety of digital payments.

Card-on-File Tokenization (CoFT):

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduced Card-on-File Tokenization in September 2021, and its implementation commenced on October 1, 2022.

Objective:

The primary goal is to streamline the process for cardholders, allowing them to easily generate tokens and associate them with their current accounts within various e-commerce applications.

Tokenization Definition:

Tokenization involves substituting actual credit and debit card details with a unique code known as the "token." This code is distinct for a specific combination of card, token requestor, and device.

CoF Transaction Explanation:

A Card-on-File (CoF) transaction occurs when a cardholder grants authorization to a retailer to store their Mastercard or Visa payment information. Subsequently, the cardholder permits the business to debit the stored Mastercard or Visa account.

Data Storage Locations:

Typically, card information is retained in the systems of various entities such as e-commerce companies, airlines, and supermarket chains.

Significance:

This initiative is pivotal as it simplifies the generation and association of tokens with the existing accounts of cardholders within e-commerce applications, contributing to heightened security and user convenience.

Advantages of Tokenization:

• Original Card Details Elimination: Tokenization eliminates the risk associated with storing actual card details online, ensuring secure storage of customer token information on the merchant's site.
• Uncompromised Convenience: This approach guarantees the convenience of storing customer token details without compromising security.
• Quick Checkout Process: Tokenized Mastercards facilitate swift checkouts by eliminating the need to input the card number for every purchase.
• Elimination of Legitimate Payment Declines: Tokenization addresses the issue of legitimate online payments being wrongly declined due to perceived fraud. The use of tokens for transactions assures the highest level of security.
• Tracking Tokenized Cards: Tokenization enables easy tracking of all cards and the merchants with which they have been tokenized, simplifying card management.
• Physical Card Not Required: Tokenization eliminates the necessity for a physical card, streamlining payment processes.
• Cashback Incentives: Tokenization offers additional benefits, such as cashback rewards when secured through platforms like Amazon, Paytm, Swiggy, etc.

South Africa has moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to declare that the Israel was in breach of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

• The convention was officially called as the UN’s Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
• It is an instrument of international law that codified for the first time the crime of genocide in 1948.
• The Convention calls on all States to maintain vigilance, and push for action to prevent genocide, everywhere.
• According to the convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;

(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

• According to the Convention, genocide is a crime that can take place both in time of war as well as in time of peace.
• India ratified the convention in 1959.

Every year on 9 December, the UN marks the adoption of the Genocide Convention with the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

Over 5,000 tourists visited Sula Vineyard facilities in Bengaluru and Nashik on December 24^th 2023, the most on a single day sale of ?85 lakh.

• Wine – An alcoholic beverage with alcohol content from 12% or more so of distilled spirits (all by volume).
• Production - India’s shares less than 1% in global production, while France, Italy, Spain and the US tops globally.
• Maharashtra holds 90% of India’s total wine production.

Over the last few years wine as a category has grown faster than Indian Made Foreign Liquor segment but its share in total alcohol sales in the country is still less than a 1%.

• Wine tourism – The growth of home grown brands and the availability of imported wines are driving travel interest to vineyards in India and overseas.
• Maharashtra’s Nashik is emerging as the ‘Wine Capital of India’
  • It receives more than 3.5 lakh visitors every year.

Sula, India’s largest wine producer, with its 1^st resort at its vineyard in Nashik. Over 3 days in 2023, it received 12,000 visitors who contributed ?2.28 crore in revenue.

• Steps taken – Reduction in duties and stepped-up marketing campaigns.
• Economic importance - According to International Spirits & Wines Association of India, wine tourism in Nashik has benefitted nearby villages by creating new opportunities like hotel properties, food industry, local farmers and retail merchants.
• It also helps Maharashtra to improve state GDP by nearly 20%.

Ghol fish, the State fish of Gujarat whose air bladder is used in the production of wine and beer.

Judima, a home-made rice wine of Assam’s Dimasa tribe has become the 1^st traditional brew in all of northeast to earn a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its distinct sweet taste.