The Government of India has officially unveiled the India AI Governance Guidelines on 5 November 2025, under the IndiaAI Mission by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY). The framework adopts a principle-based, “light-touch” regulatory approach, focusing on promoting innovation while ensuring accountability and ethical use of artificial intelligence.
Key Features:
- Seven Core “AI Sutras”: Trust, People-first, Innovation, Fairness, Accountability, Transparency, and Safety.
- Three-Tier Roadmap: Short-, medium-, and long-term actions to expand compute and data access, support indigenous foundation models, and integrate AI with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
- Institutional Framework:
- AI Governance Group (AIGG) – policy coordination
- Technology & Policy Expert Committee (TPEC) – strategic insights
- AI Safety Institute (AISI) – standards, risk assessment, and global cooperation
- Regulatory Approach: Focuses on voluntary compliance, sandboxes, and leveraging existing laws instead of creating new, restrictive ones.
According to Secretary S. Krishnan, the guidelines represent a “reasonable and balanced approach” that enables India to lead in responsible AI development while maintaining public trust and global competitiveness.
