The Indian High Commission in London has criticised the disruption of an academic event featuring Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, after a question-and-answer session briefly veered away from the scheduled discussion on artificial intelligence and international law.
The incident took place on June 4 at Birkbeck College in London, where Justice Surya Kant delivered a lecture on the theme "Artificial Intelligence and International Law".
Questions Spark Brief Interruption
During the interaction with the audience, a woman raised concerns about the treatment of dissent in India and referred to some of the Chief Justice's recent “cockroach” remarks.
She began by acknowledging the points made in the lecture about democracy and artificial intelligence before saying that several legal observers in India and abroad had expressed concerns about what they see as growing hostility towards dissent.
However, the moderator stopped the question midway, saying it was not related to the subject of the event.
The moderator told the audience member, "With all due respect, I'm sorry, I would not be able to take up that question since the topic is concerning artificial intelligence and international law." The discussion was then moved back to the scheduled topic.
The event later drew attention online after videos from the question-and-answer session began circulating on social media.
High Commission Responds
Following the incident, the Indian High Commission issued a statement condemning the disruption.
It described the conduct of some attendees as "indecorous audience behaviour" and said such actions were "unacceptable and inconsistent with respectful engagement".
The mission also stressed that disagreements should be expressed through civil and constructive dialogue rather than disrupting an academic event.
CJI's Focus On Artificial Intelligence
In his address, Justice Surya Kant spoke about the growing role of artificial intelligence in everyday life and public institutions.
He said AI is no longer a concept of the future but a reality that is already influencing governance, business, communication, warfare, public administration and legal systems across the world.
The Chief Justice argued that rapid technological progress must remain guided by constitutional principles, democratic values and respect for human dignity, reported NDTV.
He also said that decisions made today about artificial intelligence will play a major role in shaping the future relationship between technology, freedom, justice and state power.
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