The Centre is likely to amend the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021 to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) in India, according to a report by The Economic Times. The report cites unnamed sources who claim that the government is concerned about the potential misuse and abuse of AI and GenAI technologies, especially in the areas of privacy, security, intellectual property rights, and ethics.
AI is the ability of machines to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as speech recognition, image recognition, natural language processing, and decision making. GenAI is a subset of AI that can create new content or data that is indistinguishable from human-generated content or data, such as text, images, audio, or video. Examples of GenAI include deepfakes, chatbots, text generators, and image synthesizers.
The report says that the government is planning to introduce a new category of intermediaries under the IT Rules, which will include entities that use AI and GenAI for creating or disseminating content or data. These intermediaries will have to comply with certain obligations, such as obtaining consent from users, ensuring transparency and accountability, implementing data protection measures, and adhering to ethical principles.
The report also mentions that the government is in consultation with various stakeholders, including industry associations, academic institutions, civil society groups, and international organizations, to formulate the guidelines and standards for regulating AI and GenAI in India. The government is also looking at the best practices and frameworks adopted by other countries, such as China, the US, and the EU.
The move to regulate AI and GenAI comes at a time when these technologies are witnessing rapid growth and innovation in India and across the world. According to a report by nasscom, India has the third-largest AI startup ecosystem in the world, with over 1,600 startups working on various AI applications. The report also estimates that AI can add up to $957 billion to India’s GDP by 2035.
However, AI and GenAI also pose significant challenges and risks for individuals, society, and democracy. These include threats to privacy and data rights, manipulation and misinformation, discrimination and bias, infringement of intellectual property rights, and ethical dilemmas. Therefore, there is a need for a robust and balanced regulatory framework that can ensure the responsible development and use of AI and GenAI in India.