As we navigate the AI frontier, we are committed to mitigating risks while harnessing benefits. Our approach to ensuring safe and trustworthy AI in Sri Lanka will reflect the adoption-focused and impact-oriented ethos of our AI Strategy. It will be tailored to Sri Lanka’s development priorities and its distinct business and social landscape.
Given the country’s low AI penetration and governance maturity, we will embrace an agile and adaptive approach to AI governance. Beginning with a minimal set of necessary safeguards, we will continuously learn, enhance capacity, and address emerging threats. Our aim is to create an environment that not only lowers barriers to responsible innovation with AI, but also reduces costs, speeds up adoption, and empowers citizens while safeguarding their rights. To this end, we will foster a collaborative spirit among all stakeholder groups, emphasizing education and consultation as defining aspects of our approach.
Our approach to cultivating a safe and trustworthy AI ecosystem encompasses three key dimensions:
AI Governance: We will adopt an iterative approach, starting with a comprehensive Responsible AI Framework that provides guidelines for ethical AI development. As we gain practical insights, we will refine our AI Governance Framework, carefully balancing innovation-friendly policies with robust safeguards, whilst also ensuring harmonization with international best practises.
Responsible AI Practices: We will empower organizations with practical tools and resources to embrace responsible AI development. Recognizing that certain AI risks are still not fully understood globally, we will prioritize rigorous study and multi-stakeholder dialogue to inform our decisions.
Public Engagement: We will actively involve citizens in shaping Sri Lanka’s AI journey, ensuring alignment with societal values and concerns. By collaborating with international partners, we will harmonize our approach with emerging global norms and best practices.
Implementation Roadmap and Institutional Arrangements
To operationalize the National AI Strategy, a dedicated organization – the National Centre for AI (NCAI) – will be established under the forthcoming Digital Transformation Agency. NCAI will spearhead strategy implementation in close coordination with key government institutions, the private sector, academia, and civil society. Clear governance structures and inter-agency collaboration mechanisms will be instituted to drive cohesive, integrated action.
A robust Monitoring, Evaluation, and Continuous Improvement (MECI) framework will be deployed to track progress, measure outcomes, and inform the data-driven iteration of the strategy. Proactive measures will be taken to navigate potential challenges and risks related to coherence of national initiatives, change management, project scalability, system sustainability, resource mobilization, and retention of talent.
Call to Collaborative Action
The National AI Strategy serves as a clarion call for collective action towards a shared vision of an inclusive, innovative, and responsible AI-powered future for Sri Lanka. Together, government, businesses, academia, civil society, and citizens must join hands to harness AI as a force for economic transformation, social empowerment, and sustainable development.
By embracing a spirit of collaboration, experimentation, and learning, we will navigate the challenges and opportunities associated with AI with resilience and resolve. With strategic investments, enabling policies, and concerted multi-stakeholder efforts, Sri Lanka is poised to emerge as a global frontrunner in leveraging AI for societal good and national prosperity. The time for action is now. Together, let us embark on this transformative journey towards an AIpowered future that uplifts and empowers every Sri Lankan.
Promoting Collaborative Innovation through Open Data and Data Sharing
To realize the full potential of data-driven innovation, we must integrate heterogeneous data sources. This integration requires a comprehensive infrastructure that includes legal and operational processes, as well as technical frameworks, to facilitate data sharing among public and private entities. Our journey toward fostering data-driven innovation begins with reactivating and enhancing the government’s open data and spatial data portals. By making high-quality government datasets publicly available, we can stimulate the development of AI solutions by businesses, start-ups, and researchers.
Within the government, and as part of Digital Strategy 2030, we will establish standardized and secure processes for data sharing across departments and with the private sector through the creation of the National Data Exchange, building on the prior work of the Lanka Interoperability Framework (LIFe). Facilitating responsible cross-sectoral data flows will not only strengthen data-driven decision-making capabilities but also unlock new opportunities for AI to enhance public service delivery. To ease the compliance costs for the private sector and especially SMEs we will develop a Model Private Sector Data Sharing Framework compliant with SLPDPA to facilitate responsible data sharing amongst private sector companies.
It will also be essential to develop responsible, safe, secure, and legally compliant mechanisms to facilitate cross-border data flows. By addressing these risks, we can create an environment that fosters collaborative innovation while protecting the interests of all stakeholders.
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