In 2017, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry established The Task Force on AI (AI Task Force), to provide strategic direction and suggestions for the growth and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in India. The AI Task Force released its report titled “India: The AI Century” in 2018 which summarizes a roadmap for India’s AI strategy and its development. Further, NITI Aayog, the government’s policy think-tank, launched the “National Strategy for AI Discussion Paper” in 2018, soliciting public opinions and feedback. The paper outlined a comprehensive strategy for India to become a global leader in AI. It emphasized the need for regulatory frameworks to address ethical concerns and data privacy issues associated with AI.
Further in Feb 2021 NITI AYOG came up with “Approach Document for India Part 1 – Principles for Responsible AI” meant to serve as an essential roadmap for the AI ecosystem, encouraging adoption of AI in a responsible manner in India and building public trust in the use of this technology. In August 2021 “Approach Document For India: Part 2 – Operationalizing Principles For Responsible AI” was released.This document identifies the various mechanisms needed for operationalizing the seven principles identified in part 1 for responsible design, development, and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in India.
In May 2022, the government of India launched IndiaAI platform for artificial intelligence related developments in India. It is known as the National AI Portal of India, which was jointly started by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) with support from the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L) and Ministry of Human Resource Development. In the series of its publication on Responsible Artificial Intelligence (RAI), NITI Aayog in November 2022 came up with the third paper titled “Responsible AI for All: Adopting the Framework – A use case approach on Facial Recognition Technology.” The discussion paper debates around the potential benefits of FRT in different sectors and also tends to address the risks it poses to basic human and fundamental rights. In October 2023 , Seven working groups of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) submitted the First Edition of IndiaAI Report .
In November 2024, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the Developer’s Guide to Responsible Innovation under the IndiaAI Mission. This guide serves as a practical framework to operationalise India’s ethical AI principles. It outlines key responsibilities for AI developers , ensuring fairness, transparency, accountability, explainability, and data protection. One of the key contributors to the development of this playbook is Mr. Vibhav Mithal, an esteemed member of JutsAI Advosyr board. This document bridges the gap between ethical intent and technical implementation by detailing processes for dataset auditing, algorithmic bias checks, human oversight, and responsible model deployment. It also aligns Indian practices with global norms such as the OECD AI Principles and UNESCO’s AI Ethics Recommendations.
In March 2025, MeitY’s IndiaAI Mission launched the Competency Framework for Public Sector Empowerment, designed to upskill civil servants and policy leaders in AI adoption and ethical governance. It identifies behavioural, functional, and domain competencies required for responsible AI integration across government functions and the justice system.
In September 2025, NITI Aayog published AI for Viksit Bharat: The Opportunity for Accelerated Economic Growth, outlining how AI can drive productivity, innovation, and inclusive development across priority sectors. The report highlights the IndiaAI Mission and creation of AI Kosh, positioning AI as a cornerstone of India’s economic strategy and advocating sector-specific governance models.
In September 2025, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology recommended stricter AI-content regulation, including a licensing and labelling framework for generative AI models. The committee urged MeitY to introduce mandatory registration of high-risk AI systems, watermarking of AI-generated media, and stronger legal accountability for synthetic content circulation.
In October 2025, MeitY proposed amendments to the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Rules 2021 to tackle the growing menace of AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation. The draft amendments introduce mandatory content labelling, provenance tracing, enhanced intermediary due-diligence, and penalties for knowingly sharing deceptive synthetic media. They also call for the establishment of a Deepfake Detection Framework and a national AI-incident reporting mechanism.
In November 2025, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the India AI Governance Guidelines – Enabling Safe and Trusted AI Innovation, a 140-page framework marking India’s first comprehensive AI governance document. It introduces the “Seven Sutras” — Trust, People First, Innovation over Restraint, Fairness & Equity, Accountability, Understandable by Design, and Safety & Sustainability — and proposes the creation of an AI Governance Group (AIGG) and Technology & Policy Expert Committee (TPEC). The guidelines emphasise safe, transparent, and inclusive AI deployment and are India’s most significant regulatory step yet.