The ministry of electronics and IT (MeitY), on Wednesday, under the IndiaAI Mission launched the India AI Governance Guidelines in a move to build a comprehensive framework for responsible and ethical Artifical Intelligence (AI) deployment across sectors.
The guidelines, prepared under the Principal Scientific Adviser, Ajay Sood recommends a phased governance model built on existing laws and institutions, focusing on inclusion, transparency, fairness, and accountability rather than immediate regulation.
The framework proposes the creation of new oversight bodies such as an AI safety institute, a technology and policy expert committee, and an AI governance group to coordinate standards and monitor AI risks across sectors. It also suggests developing a risk classification framework, operationalising incident reporting systems, and introducing regulatory sandboxes in the medium term.
The panel led by IIT Madras professor B Ravindran recommended seven core principles for AI governance, mainly trust, fairness, accountability, explainability, innovation over restraint, equity, and sustainability.
The AI governance committee has said that many of the risks emerging from artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can be effectively managed under existing laws, while emphasising a “techno-legal” approach to strengthen future oversight mechanisms.
According to the committee’s latest assessment, provisions under the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita already cover the misuse of AI tools such as deepfakes, while the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) governs the use of personal data for training AI models without consent.
The committee is now advocating a techno-legal approach to AI governance-a framework that embeds legal safeguards directly into technology systems. This model aims to make regulatory compliance “automatic by design,” reducing the need for manual enforcement and ensuring accountability is built into digital architectures.
Speaking at the release, IT Secretary S Krishnan said India would take a “deliberate, innovation-first approach,” stepping in with legislation only when required to safeguard citizens.
“Regulation isn’t the priority today. But if the need arises, the government will not hesitate to act,” he said.
Krishnan added that at the heart of the framework is human-centric development, ensuring AI technologies benefit society while addressing potential harms. “Our focus is on human centricity-ensuring AI serves people and contributes to better lives,” he said.
Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Sood said that effective AI governance would require collaboration across ministries and industries.
