How MeitY’s Draft AI Guidelines Ensure A Transparent Route Towards Accountable Innovation

How MeitY’s Draft AI Guidelines Ensure A Transparent Route Towards Accountable Innovation

SUMMARY

Under the IndiaAI Mission, the Centre has formed an advisory group, chaired by the principal scientific advisor, to undertake the development of an ‘AI for India-Specific Regulatory Framework'

MeitY’s AI governance guidelines have also paid special focus on the perils of training AI models on copyrighted data, which is a major issue that the world is currently grappling with

As the country tries to balance innovation and regulation, these guidelines make for the essential initial first steps in ensuring that AI’s transformative potential is harnessed responsibly and sustainably

India’s AI ecosystem has undergone a major shift in the last few years, especially with the advent of GenAI. The rapid evolution of this space has not only sparked innovation across industries but also raised pressing concerns about the ethical implications of the use of AI.  Meanwhile, industry stakeholders Inc42 spoke with seemed cautiously optimistic. While some worry that impending regulations could stifle growth, many see these guidelines as essential for fostering innovation.The report also touches upon the challenges associated with governing AI. For instance, it notes that it can be difficult to understand how different components within an AI system interact with each other and which specific component is responsible for any potential harm caused. Walia said that these recommendations largely align with existing industry best practices, particularly for entities that already prioritise transparency, safety, and accountability in their AI-related operations. It is important to note that in recent years, multiple litigations have been filed by content-producing and publishing companies against top AI companies for training their models on copyrighted works. However, the report also points out that since copyright protection requires ‘human authorship,’ it is unclear whether works created using foundation models are eligible for copyright under current laws.Depending upon the context and negative effect of the malicious synthetic media in question, multiple laws such as the IT Act, Indian Penal Code (IPC), Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), and others can apply.However, Walia said, “While the report acknowledges that the existing legal framework is adequate, it does not specify the measures needed to enhance its implementation. From a business perspective, although self-regulation is appreciated, businesses would benefit from clearer guidance on the practical application of regulatory norms.”He has suggested a more nuanced approach, for instance, how to handle bias in AI models when disbursing loans or other financial products. According to him, the focus should be on controlling and normalising outcomes that affect consumers due to the deployment of AI technology rather than over-regulating its development processes.

Therefore, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently introduced AI governance guidelines as part of its ambitious INR 10,371.92 Cr IndiaAI Mission. As a result, these guidelines are not expected to drastically change the internal policies of these entities, but they highlight the importance of adopting proactive, ethical governance measures that align with India’s evolving AI ecosystem.

Note: We at Inc42 take our ethics very seriously. More information about it can be found here.

No results were found for "".
  • «
  • 1
  • »
modal lock

Continue Reading With A Free Inc42 Account

Get the most out of your Inc42 experience by creating a free account. Enjoy personalized recommendations, ad-lite browsing, and access to our exclusive newsletters.