LUCKNOW, Aug. 11 -- Ahead of the monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly commencing on Monday, a training session on artificial intelligence (AI) was held for the MLAs on Sunday. Experts from IIT-Kanpur Dr Harshit and Ashutosh Tiwari moderated the session chaired by assembly speaker Satish Mahana. Over 200 legislators attended the session. "This is the first phase where we are introducing AI for the legislators. We have also started AI enabled cameras which will help in many aspects. For example, one can get to know what all a member has spoken in a period of five years within seconds with the help of AI-enabled cameras," Mahana said. "In changing times, it has become essential for legislators to adopt new technologies," he said. "This is not a step of just monitoring, but many other aspects of information are also associated with it," he added. "AI can not only enhance efficiency but can also make communication with the public more transparent and prompt," Mahana said. Parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna described AI as a "source of knowledge" and said proper use of technology can make legislators more effective. The session was divided into two parts where first was to introduce AI to the MLAs while in the second part, they were explained about real life application of AI. However, MLAs raised doubts too. "AI can judge your objective. Hence AI would not be able to do analysis of the data it is taking and the objective with which that data was made. Will AI be able to differentiate between genuine data from the fabricated one? And what about data safety," asked Sirathu MLA Pallavi Patel. Aradhana Mishra, Congress legislature party leader, said, "More than introducing AI, the legislators need to be told how to connect dots between their working needs and the AI." "Introducing AI is a welcome step but a debate makes it better for the assembly," said leader of the opposition Mata Prasad Pandey. Kaimganj MLA Surabhi Singh said, "Can AI cater to the sentiments of our voters? This is significant as an MLA has to connect directly with voters." "What if the data available from sources such as the internet is incorrect. Should we first focus on correct data," asked another member in the house. The experts from IIT-K answered their queries. A handbook titled "AI-Driven Governance for Legislators" was also released on the occasion. The handbook covers foundational concepts of AI, multilingual communication, automated policy analysis, case studies and guidelines for ethical use. Special session to discuss UP's "Vision 2047": Mahana The 24-hours special session to be conducted from August 13 to 14 will have a discussion on UP's "Vision 2047", said the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly speaker Satish Mahana on Sunday. The session will start at 11 am on August 13. This is the second such session after 2019. The special session will have primary debate that will be taken before the public and then tables in the assembly. "In three-and-a-half years, sessions have been conducted smoothly and have witnessed increased participation of the members during debate and discussions. The fact is only twice the session had to be adjourned in the past three-and-a-half years. This successful conduct had a positive role of the opposition too," Mahana added. On the demand from the opposition regarding increasing days of session, he said, "The days are not less for debate. The monsoon sessions in the past have been conducted similarly."...