India in talks with 30 nations on AI regulation framework: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Vaishnaw said misinformation and deepfakes are eroding the foundations of society, adding that social media platforms, AI developers and creators must ensure these technologies are not misused

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Monday said that India is in talks with ministers from more than 30 countries regarding technical and legal solutions related to the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in media.

 

Speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Vaishnaw said that "innovation without trust is a liability", and the Centre is developing stringent rules to require watermarking and clear labelling of AI-generated content to safeguard the "authenticity" of human creativity.

 

He made the remarks during a fireside conversation titled 'Rewarding Our Creative Future in the Age of AI' at the India AI Impact Summit with Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association. 

 

 

Vaishnaw further added that the misinformation, disinformation, and deepfakes are attacking the foundation of society, and it is the responsibility of social media platforms, AI models and creators to ensure that these tools are not misused.

 

"It is attacking the trust between the institutions of family, of social identities, of governance. It is striking at the root of these institutions and trust. The social media platforms, the AI models and creators, all of us will have to take the responsibility in making sure that new technology strengthens the trust rather than belittling it and creating a break-up of institutions without a break-up," the minister said.

 

"Freedom of speech itself relies on trust, and that trust must be protected," Vaishnaw said, adding that deepfakes and data breaches should be "non-negotiable" for the entire country and society.

 

The remarks come almost a week after the Centre directed social media platforms to put in place systems to identify and regulate AI-generated content. It ordered the platforms to ensure that AI-generated material was clearly labelled and carried identifiers indicating that it was synthetically created. The steps were taken to prevent material that is illegal, sexually exploitative or misleading.

 

(With inputs from ANI)