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India to release AI regulation consultation paper within a month: Ashwini Vaishnaw
AI safety, deepfakes and a human-first approach likely to shape proposed framework
NEW DELHI: India is getting ready to put AI under the policy microscope. The government plans to release a consultation paper on artificial intelligence regulations within a month, with AI safety, deepfakes and a human-first approach expected to be among the key areas under consideration.
Union minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday that the government is preparing the consultation paper to seek views on how artificial intelligence should be governed in India.
“The time has come for AI regulations,” Vaishnaw said, adding that the proposed consultation would invite stakeholder views on the regulatory approach for the rapidly evolving technology.
The consultation is expected to examine safeguards around AI safety and the growing risks associated with deepfakes, alongside a broader emphasis on keeping people at the centre of AI development and deployment.
The move comes as India continues to build out its AI governance framework while seeking to balance innovation with safeguards against potential harms.
The government’s India AI Governance Guidelines, released earlier this year, already outline a principle-based approach centred on trust, people-first governance and responsible AI innovation. The framework also identifies misinformation, deepfakes, algorithmic bias and unintended societal harm among the risks requiring attention.
The guidelines recommend reviewing existing laws to identify regulatory gaps around AI, including issues such as liability, data protection, copyright, content authentication and the misuse of generative AI. They also propose institutions including an AI Governance Group, a Technology and Policy Expert Committee and an AI Safety Institute.
The government has separately been working on deepfake detection and responsible AI initiatives under the Safe & Trusted AI pillar of the IndiaAI Mission. These include projects focused on deepfake detection, explainability, privacy-preserving AI, bias mitigation and AI risk assessment.
The proposed consultation paper is expected to provide a formal platform for industry, technology companies, researchers and other stakeholders to weigh in on how AI should be governed in India.
Rather than treating regulation as a standalone technology policy, the government’s existing framework envisages a broader approach spanning data protection, cybersecurity, copyright, consumer protection and other areas where AI could create new risks.
With the consultation paper expected within the next month, India is now moving from broad AI governance principles towards a more detailed discussion on what regulatory safeguards should look like in practice.
