BENGALURU: A Rs 67-crore proposal to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor social media for fake news and misinformation is under scrutiny, with the finance ministry expressing concern over its high cost. The project, proposed by the home ministry and approved by the cabinet, drew opposition from the finance ministry over the allocation of Rs 33 million for a three-year software license. The plan envisions installing the system in 71 locations across 31 districts. In one of its observations, the Treasury said: “…Since this activity is to monitor websites, a central location with one license is sufficient with the help of artificial intelligence. This item thus identified can be forwarded to the district where action can be taken by registering an FIR. The process can be accomplished by integrating with existing systems. ” According to official estimates, each license will cost Rs 15.7 million annually, totaling Rs 47.1 million over three years. The finance department also flagged the proposed consulting fees, suggesting that the costs (approximately 15% of the total system setup costs) appeared to be “high.” The report pointed out that the IT-BT department has so far spent Rs 8 million in three months, which translates to Rs 5,000 crore per month. “Therefore, the costs proposed in the Cabinet decision need to be considered in this regard,” the Treasury warned. But the Home Office defended the proposal, saying the license fee would “remain the same” for three years and arguing that a subscription model had greater benefits than a perpetual license. The payment will ensure regular software updates and security improvements, and will also cover data storage costs for three years, the company said. “More importantly, the software does not indulge in posts or social media awareness, but uses AI to track and provide near real-time details of posts indulging in misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and harmful speech on various social media platforms,” the Home Ministry said. The ministry also denied any comparison with the IT-BT department’s expenditure and said the Rs 8 million expenditure was for a “pilot project” and not for full-scale implementation across the state. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs agreed to set up a technical advisory committee to study the details of the selected companies and their software after the bidding is completed, as per the e-government department’s proposal.
