MeitY to present AI impact report to Parliamentary Committee on March 5
During Storyboard18 DNPA conclave, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan had discussed the need of effective monitoring of AI regulation and how India's stance on AI balances innovation with safeguards against potential harms.
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The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will meet with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology on March 5 to present evidence on the subject of the “Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Related Issues.” The meeting was originally scheduled for March 7.
Additionally, MeitY will discuss the potential adoption of two draft reports on new AI laws. The Ministry is drafting a new AI law that would require social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X to include watermarks and labels on AI-generated content.
Furthermore, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), a division of MeitY, is currently testing anti-deepfake technology to combat the malicious use of AI in scams targeting unsuspecting individuals.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee will be chaired by Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey. Other participants will include representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Department of Financial Services, the Department of Revenue, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the Ministry of Power, and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
Representatives from MeitY had previously briefed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on January 9 to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence-related issues. The topic of discussion was the “Impact of the Emergence of Artificial Intelligence and Related Issues.” The committee examined the regulation and monitoring of digital and cybercrimes.
During Storyboard18 DNPA conclave, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan discussed the need of effective monitoring of AI regulation and how India's stance on AI balances innovation with safeguards against potential harms.
According to him, MeitY too is closely studying regulations in other jurisdictions, including the European Union, to determine appropriate measures. India already has legal frameworks under the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) that address misrepresentation and misinformation.
Krishnan said, "The advisory committee issued guidelines on March 15, 2024, addressing some concerns. If needed, the government may introduce stronger legislation, but this will be an extensive process involving stakeholder discussions. Our emphasis is on enabling AI-driven innovation while ensuring accountability through clear liability provisions."
In September of last year, MeitY issued an advisory to social media platforms instructing them to take prompt action in removing fake content. The Ministry also required platforms to seek government approval before releasing any untested or unreliable AI models for Indian users.
In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha on July 31, 2024, Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, emphasized that the Ministry has been engaging with the public and stakeholders to gather input on necessary changes to existing legislation and the potential need for new laws related to deepfakes.
In November 2023 and again in March 2024, the Ministry issued advisories to social media companies, urging them to comply with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. These advisories aimed to ensure that social media firms took stronger action against AI-generated deepfake videos.
MeitY had also issued an advisory requiring AI models under development to be labelled and prohibiting the dissemination of unlawful content.
