Why in news?

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the India AI Governance Guidelines, advocating a light-touch, innovation-friendly approach to regulating artificial intelligence.

The document, a revised version of the January 2025 draft, was prepared by a committee led by Balaraman Ravindran, head of the Department of Data Science and AI at IIT Madras, while the earlier framework was overseen by Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay K. Sood.

These guidelines are independent of the recently released draft IT Rules amendment (2021), which seeks to mandate labelling of AI-generated content on social media.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Key Highlights of the India AI Governance Guidelines
• India AI Governance Guidelines: Key Analysis
• Conclusion

Key Highlights of the India AI Governance Guidelines

• The goal is to harness AI’s transformative power for inclusive development and global competitiveness while addressing risks to individuals and society.
• The framework is structured into four parts: Key Principles, Key Recommendations, Action Plan, and Practical Guidelines.
• Part 1 – Key Principles (Seven Sutras)
  • The seven guiding sutras shape India’s AI philosophy across all sectors:
    • Trust is the Foundation: Without public trust, innovation and adoption will stagnate.
    • People First: Human-centric design, oversight, and empowerment.
    • Innovation over Restraint: Prioritise responsible innovation rather than excessive caution.
    • Fairness & Equity: Ensure inclusivity and prevent discrimination.
    • Accountability: Clear allocation of responsibility and enforcement mechanisms.
    • Understandable by Design: Transparent, explainable AI systems for users and regulators.
    • Safety, Resilience & Sustainability: Build robust, secure, and environmentally responsible AI systems.
• Part 2 – Key Recommendations (Six Pillars)
  • Infrastructure:
    • Expand access to data, compute, and digital public infrastructure (DPI).
    • Encourage investments and innovation through national platforms like AI Kosh.
  • Capacity Building:
    • Strengthen education, skilling, and awareness programmes for citizens and regulators.
    • Empower small businesses and government officials to responsibly use AI.
  • Policy & Regulation:
    • Adopt agile, flexible, and balanced frameworks.
    • Review existing laws, identify gaps, and introduce targeted amendments for AI-specific risks.
  • Risk Mitigation:
    • Develop India-specific risk assessment frameworks based on real-world harms.
    • Introduce voluntary, techno-legal, and context-specific safeguards for sensitive AI use.
  • Accountability:
    • Implement a graded liability system based on risk and function.
    • Increase transparency about actors in the AI value chain and their compliance.
  • Institutions:
    • Adopt a whole-of-government approach.
    • Establish an AI Governance Group (AIGG) and Technology & Policy Expert Committee (TPEC) for oversight.
    • Strengthen the AI Safety Institute (AISI) to provide technical expertise on trust and safety.
• Part 3 – Action Plan (Short, Medium & Long-Term Goals)
  • Short-term
    • Key Priorities - Establish AIGG, TPEC, and risk frameworks; suggest legal changes; adopt voluntary commitments; expand infrastructure; launch awareness campaigns.
    • Expected Outcomes - Strong institutions, trust-building, readiness for AI risk management.
  • Medium-term
    • Key Priorities - Publish standards, operationalise AI incident systems, amend laws, pilot regulatory sandboxes, and integrate DPI with AI.
    • Expected Outcomes - Safe experimentation and improved accountability.
  • Long-term
    • Key Priorities - Continuous review, horizon scanning, and new laws for emerging risks.
    • Expected Outcomes - Sustainable, future-ready AI governance ecosystem.
• Part 4 – Practical Guidelines
  • For Industry:
    • Comply with Indian laws and adopt voluntary standards and transparency reports.
    • Create grievance redressal mechanisms and apply techno-legal risk mitigation tools.
  • For Regulators:
    • Support innovation while mitigating real harms.
    • Prefer flexible, periodic, and non-burdensome frameworks over heavy compliance.
    • Use techno-legal approaches (e.g., bias detection, privacy preservation) to implement policies.

India AI Governance Guidelines: Key Analysis

• Shift from Risk Control to Innovation Enablement
  • The new framework marks a departure from earlier drafts that focused heavily on risk mitigation.
  • It now prioritises “innovation with guardrails”, scaling back references to NITI Aayog and OECD principles that influenced the previous approach.
  • The emphasis is on creating an adaptive governance model that balances growth and safety in AI deployment.
• No Immediate Plan for a Dedicated AI Law
  • While acknowledging that future legislation may be needed, the report suggests drafting new laws only when “emerging risks and capabilities” warrant it.
• Linked to Global AI Initiatives
  • The launch aligns with preparations for the Delhi AI Impact Summit (February 2026) — part of a global series of AI governance events following those at Bletchley Park (UK), Seoul, and Paris.
  • The guidelines are designed to position India as a responsible yet innovation-driven global AI player.

Conclusion

India’s AI Governance Guidelines propose a balanced, agile, pro-innovation, and future-ready framework — enabling AI-driven growth, inclusion, and competitiveness, while safeguarding individuals and society through trust, transparency, and accountability.