By S Ronendra Singh

Copyright thehindubusinessline

India is set to roll out a new artificial intelligence (AI) governance framework built on three core principles — curbing misuse through mandatory safeguards against deepfakes and synthetic media, ensuring platform accountability for swift action on harmful content, and aligning domestic rules with emerging global standards for high-risk AI systems to balance safety with innovation.

Explaining the approach, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “We are focusing on human-centric and inclusive growth, making technology accessible to all, and creating a governance framework acceptable to large parts of the world.”

He cited UPI as a model India wants to replicate in AI, offering solutions usable by both advanced economies and the Global South.

Targeted solutions

“The investments that we are making to develop the models will basically lead us to achieving that goal…We have selected teams; some teams are developing large models and there are many teams that are developing small, focused models, which target specific sectors and problems. That approach shows the practical approach of our AI mission. We must be able to solve the population-scale problems using technology,” he said.

It should be useful to people and should make a difference in the common citizen’s life. It should make a difference for a small farmer in a remote village to improve the crop, improve the yield and have better income using technology, he explained.

Vaishnaw said India is developing both large-scale and sector-specific AI models to address “population-scale problems” such as boosting farm yields or creating livelihood opportunities for women in tribal regions. The government is also investing in 500-plus AI data labs and common compute facilities to expand access.

“It should make a difference in the lives of the women in a small tribal village to get better opportunities to earn a livelihood. That’s the philosophy, that’s the thought process with which we are working and the results are very good so far. The progress made in the common compute facility and some other areas is also being adopted by some large, rich countries,” Vaishnaw elaborated.

Fund allocation

Under the IndiaAI Mission, the Centre has allotted ₹ 10,300 crore outlay to build sovereign AI capabilities. The plan includes sovereign large language models (LLMs), graphic processing units (GPUs), skilling initiatives, and sector-specific AI use cases.

Backed by a ₹10,300-crore IndiaAI Mission, the plan includes sovereign large language models (LLMs), GPUs, skilling initiatives and targeted AI use cases. The IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026, to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 19–20, will convene global leaders, innovators and policymakers after similar summits in the UK, South Korea and France.

After the summits in the UK, South Korea, and France, the next Summit is being hosted by India and it is a great honour and pride for the country, Vaishnaw added.

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Published on September 19, 2025