Govt to Release Consultation Paper on AI Regulations Within a Month: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Speaking at an event, Vaishnaw said the proposed consultation would examine how AI can be regulated while ensuring that safety remains the central consideration.

“I will request the department to come out with a regulation-focused consultation paper, which focuses on safety. That's the most important point — safety related to AI use,” the minister said.

Vaishnaw highlighted deepfakes as a growing concern, noting that fabricated content can influence people's perceptions and create misleading narratives.

He said people can believe such content to be genuine, potentially leading them to accept false information or take inappropriate actions based on it.

The minister said the proposed consultation paper would also address AI-related skilling and ensure that sections of society are not left behind as the technology develops.

He emphasised that the impact of AI on people should remain at the centre of the government's regulatory approach.

Vaishnaw also said AI governance cannot rely solely on legislation and called for a combination of technological safeguards and regulatory measures. “We have to bring a techno-legal solution,” he said, adding that different stakeholders would need to be involved in developing the framework.

The minister also said the industry would have to take primary responsibility for addressing risks associated with AI, particularly as concerns over cyberattacks and deepfakes continue to grow.

The government's India AI Governance Guidelines have already proposed a principle-based approach focused on trust, people-centric governance and responsible AI development. The framework identifies misinformation, deepfakes, algorithmic bias and unintended societal consequences among the risks that require safeguards.

The guidelines have also recommended reviewing existing laws to identify regulatory gaps arising from the use of AI. Areas identified for consideration include liability, data protection, copyright, content authentication and the misuse of generative AI.

The framework has proposed institutional mechanisms including an AI Governance Group, a Technology and Policy Expert Committee and an AI Safety Institute.

Separately, the government has been pursuing initiatives on deepfake detection and responsible AI under the Safe & Trusted AI pillar of the IndiaAI Mission.

These efforts include projects focused on detecting deepfakes, developing privacy-preserving AI systems, mitigating algorithmic bias and assessing risks associated with artificial intelligence.

The proposed consultation paper is expected to provide a further opportunity for stakeholders to offer their views on the regulatory framework as India works to address the opportunities and risks associated with the rapid expansion of AI.