India Advances Towards Comprehensive AI Regulation, Targeting Deepfakes and Autonomous AI

The Indian government is poised to introduce a new, dedicated legal framework for the regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), signifying a significant evolution in its approach to technology governance. This initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), aims to address the burgeoning challenges posed by advanced AI, particularly synthetically generated content, commonly known as deepfakes, and the increasing autonomy of 'agentic AI' systems. While earlier regulatory efforts, such as the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026, laid the groundwork by mandating content labeling and faster takedown timelines for deepfakes, the proposed standalone law seeks a more holistic and preventive approach. A core component of the upcoming legislation is a consent-based framework for synthetically generated media. This directly tackles the concern of deepfakes created without individuals' permission, a growing issue that has led to misinformation and personal harms. Furthermore, the framework will establish clear regulations for 'agentic AI,' which are AI systems capable of independently planning and executing multi-step actions with minimal human oversight. The government also plans to introduce regulatory sandboxes in collaboration with bodies like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for testing high-risk AI applications, particularly in critical sectors like finance and public services. This comprehensive legal step aims to balance fostering innovation with safeguarding citizens from the potential misuse of AI, ensuring accountability for AI-generated content and promoting responsible AI development in India.