India moves toward separate AI regulation law as 762 ministry proposals signal national AI push

Over 760 proposals, requests from various ministries on AI applications under evaluation: IT Secy

Nearly 762 AI application suggestions are being evaluated by Meity from various ministries. Discussions will soon begin with stakeholders to draft new AI regulations. Existing IT rules have addressed initial concerns regarding deepfakes and synthetic content. Stricter disclosure norms for AI-generated content are also being proposed. India is tightening its IT rules to firmly crack down on AI deepfakes. Nearly 762 suggestions and proposals have been received from various ministries on potential applications of artificial intelligence suited to their areas, post the India AI Summit and Meity is working with them to evaluate and take them forward, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Thursday. Based on their individual needs and requirements, the ministries have made submissions identifying areas where AI can be deployed, he said. "Ministries have submitted certain requests and proposals in terms of the kind of applications they want, based on what their requirements are. The Prime Minister had asked all ministries to visit the India AI Summit and stalls at the exhibition, and come back with where they think AI can be applied in their respective ministries," Krishnan said on the sidelines of the CII GCC Business Summit. Almost 762 suggestions have been received, Krishnan said, adding, "we are working with various ministries to identify how to take it forward". On the roadmap for a separate AI regulation, the top official of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) said the government will begin discussions with various stakeholder groups to seek their views and start the drafting process. "We will have to begin discussing in various groups as to what the stakeholders feel about it and we will start a process of drafting it," Krishnan said. Last week, Krishnan had said the time has come to look at a separate AI regulation. He had noted that while existing legal provisions have so far been adequate in addressing initial concerns on issues like deepfakes and AI-generated synthetic content, an "additional regulation or law may be needed". "It is a conversation which has commenced, and my minister (IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw) and I have both been on record earlier that we will look at AI regulation when the time is right, and it appears that the time is getting right, and we will start looking at it," Krishnan had stated. Policymakers, across the globe, are grappling with challenges posed by generative AI, including deepfakes, misinformation, and online harms. India has been tightening IT rules to firmly crack down on AI deepfakes. In February this year, the government brought in stricter obligations for online platforms on handling AI-generated and synthetic content, including deepfakes, saying platforms, such as X and Instagram, must take down within three hours any such content flagged by a competent authority or court. The government notified amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, that formally define AI-generated and synthetic content. The amendments defined "audio, visual or audio-visual information" and "synthetically-generated information", covering AI-created or altered content that appears real or authentic. Routine editing, accessibility improvements, and good-faith educational or design work have been excluded from this definition. The Centre has also mooted stricter disclosure norms for AI-generated content, proposing tweaks to IT rules that would require clear and continuous labels identifying synthetically generated information to be visible throughout the entire duration of the visual display.

MeitY to discuss separate AI regulation law: S Krishnan

"We will have to start discussing in various groups as to what the stakeholders feel about it [AI regulation] and we will start a process of drafting," said S. Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), during a brief press interaction at the Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII) GCC Business Summit in New Delhi on July 9, 2026, as reported by ANI. Watch the full video of his brief press interaction here. As MediaNama reported earlier, in December 2025, MeitY's Secretary S Krishnan stated that the government is not planning a new dedicated AI law. However, six months later, in an interview with The Hindu, he clarified that the Ministry is in talks with industry on a new AI law. "I do think that there is a requirement for a new law because the world of AI is very different from the world when the IT Act was enacted in 2000," he added. Explore more here: [Hindu's interview on YouTube | MediaNama reporting ] "In total, about 762 such suggestions were received, and we are now working with the various ministries to determine how to take these forward," he further said, referring to the submissions by various ministries on AI adoption and the types of applications they want, based on their specific requirements. "During the AI Summit, the Prime Minister had asked all ministries to visit the summit, listen to the various speakers, and also explore the stalls in the exhibition. Afterward, they were to return with suggestions on where AI could be applied within their respective ministries," he added. On username notices sent to WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal: Referring to the recent notices sent to WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and possibly other messaging platforms, Krishnan said that they have not yet received responses from WhatsApp or other platforms and they are still awaiting their submissions, as today (July 9) remains the last day for the response submissions. On Meta, CSAM and recent Muse feature: Addressing Meta's latest "Muse" feature, he said, "We will have to look at it with reference to legal framework and whether it is in accordance with legal framework or not. We will examine the representations we received." When reporters brought up Meta's recent blog post on CSAM, in the context of a recent BBC investigation, Krishnan said they haven't received a formal response from Meta and added that the government's view will depend on their response. He further affirmed that Meta still has time to submit its response on the CSAM issue. The Ministry sent notice to Meta on the issue of allowing CSAM-related ads on its platforms. Explore more about the BBC investigation that prompted the Ministry's response here: [ BBC YouTube Videos - One & Two | BBC Article | MediaNama coverage ]