CBI Urged to Collaborate with Academia and Industry to Address AI-Driven Challenges in Law Enforcement

CBI should collaborate with academia, industries to keep pace with AI-powered changes: Ashwini Vaishnaw

The CBI should look for collaborations with the academia and industries in the light of the changes being brought about by Artificial Intelligence in economic, social and technological fronts, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday. Delivering the 21st D P Kohli memorial lecture on the 62nd Foundation Day of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Vaishnaw said things have changed with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI). "An AI agent can commit a crime. The ethical question that will arise then is who has committed the crime and whom to arrest? Can you arrest an AI agent? Is it the AI creating company that is liable or is it the AI agent that is liable? "These are the changes which are happening in the society today. For such changes which are taking place on the economic, social and technological fronts, I request the CBI and its great team to look at more collaborations," said Vaishnaw, who also holds the information and broadcasting, and electronics and information technology portfolios. Stating that we should look at more collaborations with the startups, industries and academia, the minister said, "For example, in our AI mission, we are collaborating with the academia to create many new tools." Marking the occasion, the minister conferred President's Police Medals for distinguished service and Police Medals for meritorious service on 26 CBI officers.

CBI Should Collaborate With Startups To Tackle AI-Led Crimes: Vaishnaw

To deal with AI-led crimes, India needs a techno-legal approach, said Vaishnaw Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today emphasised the need for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to seek collaborations with startups, industries and academia, citing the challenges posed by artificial intelligence in crimes. While delivering the 21st D P Kohli memorial lecture on the 62nd foundation day of the CBI, the minister also highlighted that AI expansion is also raising ethical concerns in criminal investigations, especially as AI agents are now capable of committing crimes. "Today things have changed a lot. An AI agent can commit a crime, then the ethical question will arise, whom to arrest. Can you arrest the AI agent? Is the company creating the AI agent liable or the agent itself is liable?" said Vaishnaw. Underlining the technological shift all across the world, the minister further said that the investigation mechanism has also expanded beyond questioning and evidence collection. "Under such changes which are happening both on the economic front, social front and on the technology front, I request CBI and its great team should look at more collaborations. I would suggest that we should collaborate with startups, with industries and more so with academia," said Vaishnaw. He further suggested looking for technological solutions in the age of tech advancements as "law alone will not be sufficient" to tackle the crime, adding that India needs a techno-legal approach. AI, A Double-Edged Sword While artificial intelligence poses a potential risk of new-age crimes such as digital frauds, cyber crimes and deepfakes, it also has the capability to offer solutions for the same. Multiple government departments are looking for collaborations with emerging startups and academia to make the most of modern technology and resources. "In our AI mission, we are collaborating with academia to create many new tools. IIT Jodhpur has created a tool to identify deepfakes in a very authentic way," said Vaishnaw. Currently, India doesn't have specific laws directly regulating AI, however the country is developing a framework through advisories, guidelines, and existing legislation and adopting measures to keep a check on such crimes. To put a check on deepfakes using AI, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) also sought proposals from startups and other relevant stakeholders for building AI-powered tools to detect deepfakes in December last year. It was also reported last year that the IT ministry is also building a mechanism to evaluate the safety and trustworthiness of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Meanwhile, the cyber threats in India will be dominated by AI-driven attacks with cybercriminals leveraging generative AI to create more sophisticated and adaptive threats using AI-powered malware, as per The India Cyber Threat Report 2025 by the Data Security Council. The report observed an increase in sophisticated threats targeting sectors like Healthcare, Hospitality and BFSI, while government entities remain prime targets as well.It added that fake apps, especially in the fintech and government sectors, will remain a significant concern.