Sunil Bharti Mittal Heard Own AI Voice. It Asked For Large Fund Transfer

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will shape the future of the global economy and geopolitics, said Bharti Enterprises chairman, Sunil Mittal, at the NDTV World Summit, adding that AI has its risks, particularly the potential for misuse. Mr Mittal, who heads India's second-largest telecom firm, Bharti Airtel, recounted a personal experience illustrating AI's potential dangers. 

He described an incident where a senior finance official in Dubai received a fraudulent call that mimicked his voice, directing a large fund transfer. But the vigilant official detected the fraud in time. Upon hearing the voice recording himself, Mr Mittal admitted he was "stunned" by the accuracy, warning that future misuse could extend to digital signatures and even visual impersonation on video calls.

"And anyone who would not have been vigilant may have done something about it," Mr Mittal said. "We'll have to protect our societies from the evils of AI, and yet we have to use the goodness of AI because those companies, and nations that will not adopt AI will be left behind. So this is a conundrum for every time you get a new technology into place, there are pluses and minuses. I remain very optimistic about the benefit of AI that the human race will achieve and be able to do jobs which are otherwise very difficult to perform."

Mr Mittal said that AI is already transforming operations within Bharti Airtel. Routine and repetitive tasks, such as those in call centres and workforce management, are being replaced by AI, leading to greater efficiency but also reducing traditional jobs. 

"Just 10 years back, every time a customer had to be onboarded onto a mobile phone, there was a physical form to be filled out. There were runners on scooters and more bikes who would take those forms to a different centre. From there, they would fax it to another place...in 10 years' time, it seems like a joke today," Mr Mittal said. 

The Barti Group chief said that rapid advancements in AI will impact everything from global economies to geopolitics. 

"AI will be one of the most important drivers of economy, politics, and geopolitics. But there will be misuse as well, and we will need to be more vigilant," Mr Mittal said. "Nation states will have to come up with guardrails. One will have to be vigilant, society will have to be protected from the evils of AI. I remain very optimistic of the various use of AI."