India has unveiled its first comprehensive “AI Governance Guidelines,” outlining a balanced framework to promote innovation while safeguarding against the risks of artificial intelligence. Developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and released in November 2025, the 140-page document establishes a roadmap for “safe and trusted AI” through principles of trust, accountability, and human oversight.

The framework rests on seven guiding “sutras” — Trust, People First, Innovation over Restraint, Fairness & Equity, Accountability, Understandable by Design, and Safety, Resilience & Sustainability — designed to ensure AI serves as a force for inclusive growth and public good. The document positions AI as a key driver of India’s “Viksit Bharat 2047” vision, emphasizing that governance must evolve in step with technological progress.

Among its major features, the guidelines call for the establishment of an AI Governance Group (AIGG) to coordinate national policy, supported by a Technology & Policy Expert Committee and the AI Safety Institute (AISI). The AISI will oversee research, safety testing, and collaboration with international partners on standards and risk mitigation. Together, these institutions are expected to guide the development of India’s regulatory and ethical AI infrastructure.

The guidelines reject an immediate need for standalone AI legislation, noting that existing laws such as the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and the Information Technology Act can address most AI-related risks. However, targeted amendments are proposed for areas like copyright, liability, and data use, particularly as AI models increasingly rely on large datasets and generative capabilities.

India’s approach combines regulatory flexibility with “techno-legal” innovation — embedding compliance into system design through tools such as watermarking for content authentication, privacy-preserving data architectures, and AI incident reporting systems. The report also recommends creating a national AI Incident Database to track harms and inform future risk frameworks.

Described by officials as “a pragmatic and future-ready model,” the India AI Governance Guidelines aim to balance opportunity and risk. By integrating inclusion, safety, and innovation, the framework positions India as a leader in developing a trustworthy, human-centered AI ecosystem for the Global South.

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