India has always been the nation to embrace new technologies due do it’s youth dominated population. With this India is seeing a rise in free access to artificial intelligence (AI tools) from tech giants like Airtel, Reliance Jio, Open AI.
Millions of user benefit from the Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and OpenAI. Millions of users benefit from this scheme. Users can use premium AI features for free, thanks to these telecom providers offering free subscriptions.
Now this may sound like a great deal for consumers but experts worry that if there is a hidden cost behind this free treat.
After all we are all familiar with the free 5G services scheme that was launched in 2020. Also these AI tools collect a lot of user data, from what people ask, their language habits to how they use the apps.
This data helps improve the AI systems. Experts say that while Indians get free access, big tech companies are using the data to make their models smarter by using us as a free guinea pig.
This trend also warn us about the user dependency, as Gen-Z uses AI like a personal assistant. Not only asking work or education related questions but also a mentor and guide for various personal relationships and dynamics. Further increasing the dependency or slavery.
Further, they may sell this improved AI back to users at high end prices. This idea is called “neo–colonisation,” where raw data is taken at no to zero cost and used to build profitable products.
In India, laws about data privacy are still in the discussions or are evolving . The Digital Personal Data Protection Act was passed in 2023 but many rules are not yet fully enforced.
This creates confusion about whether users truly give informed consent when they activate these free AI services through these telecom apps.
Sometimes, users may think they are just paying for phone or internet service, but their data is also used for AI training.
There are questions about who is responsible if user data gets misused ,telecom companies or AI providers. Who is going to bear the repercussions. The rules are complicated, involving different agencies like TRAI and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Some industry experts see this as an opportunity for India. They believe that the data helps AI models understand Indian languages and culture better.
This could also help Indian startups build smarter local AI solutions.Going forward, clear rules and transparency will be important.
Users should know how their data is used and have real choices. India is at a turning point between benefiting from AI and protecting its people’s data and rights.
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