India has outlined a new approach to artificial intelligence governance with the release of a white paper titled “Strengthening AI Governance Through Techno-Legal Framework,” published by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) in January 2026 .

The white paper presents what it describes as a “techno-legal” model for AI governance, integrating legal safeguards, technical controls, and institutional mechanisms directly into the design and deployment of AI systems. Rather than proposing a standalone AI law, the framework builds on existing legislation such as the Information Technology Act 2000, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, and sector-specific regulations, while embedding compliance into system architecture by design.

Principal Scientific Adviser Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood said the approach aims to ensure that governance is not treated as an afterthought. Instead, legal requirements and technical enforcement tools—such as privacy-enhancing technologies, model audits, and AI impact assessments—are intended to function across the full AI lifecycle, from data collection and model training to inference and agentic AI systems.

The document emphasizes “Responsible AI by Design” and outlines five lifecycle stages: data collection, data-in-use protection, AI training and model assessment, safe AI inference, and trusted agents. At each stage, the framework identifies risks related to privacy, security, fairness, intellectual property, and safety, alongside proposed mitigation controls.

The white paper also calls for strengthened institutional coordination through mechanisms such as an AI Governance Group (AIGG), a Technology and Policy Expert Committee (TPEC), and an AI Safety Institute (AISI). It proposes a national AI incident database to track and analyze harms, and encourages voluntary industry commitments supported by incentives.

Positioned as part of India’s broader AI Policy Priorities White Paper Series, the document frames the techno-legal approach as a pro-innovation model designed to balance economic growth, constitutional rights, and global leadership in trusted AI governance.

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