India to consult on AI rules for deepfakes and autonomous systems
A paper due within a month will seek public views on safety, synthetic content, user harm and industry responsibility.
India plans to publish a consultation paper on AI regulation within a month, opening a public discussion on safety, deepfakes, user harm, technical safeguards and industry responsibility. The government has not announced a new law or a final compliance requirement alongside the paper.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union IT minister, set out the plan on Oct. 8. A government signal tracked by Govly described the paper as the start of a consultation process, rather than the adoption of binding rules.
The proposed exercise is intended to cover AI safety, skills and inclusive adoption. It will also address increasingly convincing deepfakes and the potential psychological effects of AI on users, placing risks to individuals alongside questions of technical protection.
The discussion is expected to examine consent for synthetic content and potential liability for developers. Vaishnaw said industry should carry much of the responsibility for addressing AI-related risks, indicating that corporate obligations will be among the issues in the consultation.
Another focus will be autonomous AI systems, defined as tools that can independently plan and perform tasks. Authorities are examining whether such systems should be permitted to retain and reuse data, as well as what limits should apply to them.
The planned paper follows earlier government proposals to label AI-generated content. It also marks a shift from India’s position in 2023, when the government was developing responsible-AI guidelines to support innovation and industry growth rather than considering a law to regulate the technology, according to Digital Watch.
The consultation could therefore bring generated content, data use and corporate responsibility into a broader regulatory debate, while its outcome could shape rules governing generated content and autonomous systems.