India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has introduced the India AI Governance Guidelines — a comprehensive framework aimed at regulating and guiding the ethical development and deployment of artificial intelligence across the country. The announcement was made on Wednesday, marking a major step toward responsible AI governance in India.
The guidelines adopt a hands-off, self-governance approach instead of strict government regulation. According to IT Secretary S. Krishnan, there are no immediate plans for standalone AI legislation. However, the government remains open to enacting laws if pressing challenges or risks emerge in the future.
The framework rests on seven guiding principles designed to ensure AI systems are ethical, inclusive, and transparent:
1. Trust – Building confidence and reliability in AI systems.
2. People-centricity – Ensuring that AI development serves human interests first.
3. Responsible innovation – Promoting progress with accountability.
4. Equity – Guaranteeing fair access and equitable outcomes for all.
5. Accountability – Defining clear responsibility for AI decisions and impacts.
6. Understandability – Making AI systems, especially Large Language Models (LLMs), transparent and explainable.
7. Safety, resilience, and sustainability – Ensuring AI systems are secure, robust, and environmentally sustainable.
The report outlines six major recommendations to guide implementation and capacity building:
1. Expand AI infrastructure access and leverage India’s existing digital public infrastructure.
2. Build capacity by introducing AI training and skilling programs.
3. Adopt balanced and flexible regulatory frameworks that can evolve with technology.
4. Mitigate India-specific risks by addressing local challenges such as bias, misinformation, and data privacy.
5. Boost transparency throughout the AI value chain, from data collection to deployment.
6. Prepare for future legislation by drafting adaptive laws as AI capabilities advance.
The guidelines were drafted by a panel chaired by Balaraman Ravindran, Head of Data Science and AI at IIT Madras. The committee began its work in July and this version represents an updated and refined framework following public consultations on an earlier draft released in January.
According to Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at MeitY, these guidelines are intended to serve as a “cornerstone for developing AI for India”. The framework emphasizes India’s ambition to balance innovation with responsibility and may even serve as a global model for AI governance in the coming years.
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