New AI guidelines will chart India's path to responsible innovation

For India, the stakes are high. Exercising restraint while promoting innovation requires a delicate balance

India’s “Governance Guidelines for Artificial Intelligence” (AI), released recently by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, marks an important milestone in how the country envisions AI governance. In the absence of a dedicated AI law, these guidelines represent a pragmatic step towards anticipatory governance, one that seeks to manage risks without stifling innovation. Rather than replicate Western models of precautionary regulation, India is crafting a homegrown framework that aligns trust, innovation, and inclusion as mutually reinforcing principles. At the heart of this new architecture are the seven guiding sutras, or principles — trust, people-first design, innovation over