Delhi is all set to host the AI Summit even as Artificial Intelligence is becoming an inseparable part of our lives. Maharashtra, one of India’s most forward-looking states, will be presenting it's roadmap for leveraging AI in agriculture, climate resilience and inclusivity. The vision is ambitious with smarter farming, climate adaptation, equitable growth, responsive governance.
Without any doubt, at the centre of all these grand designs are not machines but individuals. Beyond doubts, rainfall predictions will be useful to farmers, adaptive learning platforms will be accessed by students, data dashboards will be used by administrators and new tools and innovations will be led by entrepreneurs. Behind each of interfaces are human beings with aspirations, anxieties, relationships, and responsibilities.
And above all this is love which is the foundation of every human life.
For all the criticism which is directed at the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day, its perceived westernness, its week-long celebrations of roses, chocolates, bears and gifts, it continues to exist. Whether observed quietly or celebrated exuberantly by young hearts, it refuses to disappear just like AI.
As a student of a convent school, I remember Valentine’s Day not as a spectacle but as a gentle celebration of affection and goodwill. We talked about Saint Valentine and the idea of commitment, sacrifice, and the sanctity of relationships. It was less about display and more about meaning, a reminder that love is steadfast, not seasonal.
In truth, love can never be confined to that one day.
We experienced love long before we understood the word, in the safety of our mother’s womb, in the warmth of parents and grandparents, in the laughter of siblings and friends. As we grew up, love guided us even when we were corrected. That occasional reprimand at school, a stern word at home was often love disguised as discipline.
Back then love was more subdued perhaps not always publicly displayed but certainly existed and was deep.
Today too, we are surrounded by love but this time it is tied with Artificial Intelligence. From our phones predicting preferences or guiding and goading us to buy roses and gifts to governance systems analysing vast datasets, AI is omnipresent and we are engulfed in it.
And yet, just as love cannot be reduced to a single romantic relationship, AI cannot be reduced to mere automation and technology.
When we look at Maharashtra’s plans for AI in agriculture the intentions are not limited to technological advancement but focus on providing support to individuals. It is about protecting farmers from unpredictable climate patterns, increasing productivity, ensuring food security, and preserving ecological balance. Behind every algorithm lies concern for human beings and livelihoods.
AI for climate resilience is not just modelling temperatures but safeguarding future generations. AI for inclusivity is not just digital platforms but about ensuring that no citizen is left behind due to geography, disability, or economic status.
When guided by empathy, AI becomes an extension of collective care and ensures that the delicate balance between scientific development and human emotions is maintained.
As much as we get engulfed in love, we are also being enveloped by AI. One nourishes the heart while the other augments the mind. One binds communities while the other connects systems. One is ancient, instinctive, heartfelt and the other is a part of our intellect , modern and engineered.
The danger is not in AI itself, but in allowing intelligence to function without humanness.
Machines can calculate risk, but they cannot feel compassion. They can optimise systems, but they cannot experience moral responsibility. They can generate responses, but they cannot love which is an emotion uniquely human.
The passion that drives a scientist, the dedication that sustains a civil servant, the perseverance of a farmer, the creativity of an artist are forms of love expressed through work. Our commitment to building ethical AI frameworks is also based on our love for society and the future generations.
Perhaps Valentine’s Day, despite its evolution and excesses, serves as a symbolic reminder that love must be nurtured intentionally. It must be expressed, protected, and practised not confined to one day.
Similarly, Artificial Intelligence must be shaped intentionally. In the words of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri. Narendra Modi it must be governed ethically, deployed responsibly and remain anchored in human values.
Both love and AI are here to stay and the question is not whether AI will dominate our lives, nor whether Valentine’s Day should be celebrated. The real question is whether how will we preserve the tenderness that defines us in an age of accelerating artificial intelligence.
Our success in this will ensure that the future will not be a cold world of algorithms but a humane society where intelligence expands possibility and love uplifts everyone.
R.Vimala, IAS,
Resident Commissioner & Secretary,
Government of Maharashtra &
PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay
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