India is gearing up to introduce a new artificial intelligence (AI) law focused on fostering innovation while potentially omitting penalties for violations, reports The Indian Express. The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) is spearheading this initiative, aiming to regulate AI applications without stifling technological advancement. Key provisions of the proposed legislation include mandates for social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X to incorporate watermarks and labels on AI-generated content.
The need for such regulation became evident in India following incidents involving deepfake videos and AI systems displaying inconsistencies in responses about political figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Last November, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw underscored the threat posed by deepfakes to democracy and outlined the government’s strategy to combat them through detection, prevention, reporting, and public awareness efforts.
MeitY has already taken steps in this direction, issuing advisories mandating the labelling of under-trial AI models and cracking down on unlawful content. These measures align with a broader goal of ensuring transparency and accountability in AI applications while safeguarding against misuse.
In a move to balance regulation with innovation, IT Secretary S Krishnan emphasized earlier this year that while regulatory frameworks are necessary, they should not hinder technological progress. This sentiment echoes global initiatives such as Meta’s development of tools to detect ‘invisible markers’ in AI-generated content, in accordance with standards set by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) in the United States.
Despite global efforts by major tech firms like Google, Microsoft, and Adobe to label AI-generated content, including videos and images, with ‘AI info’ indicators, India’s forthcoming legislation could introduce unique requirements specific to its linguistic and cultural contexts. The exact impact on existing industry practices remains uncertain pending the finalization and implementation of the AI law, expected to unfold as MeitY continues drafting and refining its provisions.