The Pulse
India Gives Itself a Month to Draft an AI Regulation Paper
Ashwini Vaishnaw said India will publish an AI regulation consultation paper within a month, focusing on safety, deepfakes, skilling and inclusion. The announcement moves beyond February’s governance guidelines, which said many AI-related r
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
Vaishnaw signals a turn toward regulation
India’s February AI governance guidelines said many risks from artificial intelligence could be addressed under existing laws; on October 8, Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government would prepare a regulation-focused consultation paper within a month. The shift does not yet amount to a new law or a published draft rule, but it puts a formal regulatory discussion on the government’s near-term agenda.
Speaking at the India launch of the World Bank’s World Development Report 2026, Vaishnaw said the proposed paper would focus on AI safety, cybersecurity, social harms and ensuring that AI’s benefits reach more people. Akashvani News also reported that he cited deepfakes as an example of harmful applications the government wants to address.
“So we’ll come out with that paper in a month’s time from now, and based on that we’ll go forward with the regulation,” Vaishnaw said, according to PTI’s account published by ThePrint.
February’s guidelines left room for targeted changes
The government’s AI Governance Guidelines, posted by the Press Information Bureau on February 15, took a measured approach. They said a review of India’s existing legal framework indicated that many AI-related risks could be addressed under current laws, while also calling for a comprehensive review to identify gaps.
The guidelines specifically flagged questions around liability across the AI value chain, data protection in AI development, generative AI misuse, content authentication and copyrighted material used in training. They recommended building on existing laws, reviewing gaps and considering targeted legislative amendments where needed. Vaishnaw’s new announcement therefore leaves open whether the consultation will propose a dedicated AI law, focused changes to current rules, or another mix of measures.
Safety, deepfakes and human impact
The minister’s announced priorities combine technical safeguards with social concerns. Vaishnaw named safety as central and included deepfakes among the harms requiring attention; he also pointed to skilling and a human-first approach. Akashvani reported that the paper is meant to address both the risks of AI and the distribution of its benefits.
Vaishnaw has also said industry should carry primary responsibility for addressing issues including cybersecurity, safety, user harm, psychological disorders and deepfakes, according to PTI. He described the government’s approach as “techno-legal,” indicating that regulation would not rely on legislation alone. The consultation paper is expected to set out how those responsibilities might work in practice, though the minister has not yet specified proposed obligations or enforcement mechanisms.
The next milestone is the consultation paper
The government has promised to publish the paper within a month of Vaishnaw’s October 8 remarks. That makes the document—not a final regulation—the next concrete step. Its scope will show whether the government intends to refine the principles already laid out in February or set out more specific regulatory measures for AI developers and deployers.
Until the paper appears, the announcement establishes a timetable and broad areas of focus, not the details of a binding framework. The government’s February guidelines already called for a review of laws and targeted changes where gaps emerge; the consultation will indicate how far that review moves toward formal rules.