India mandates AI content labels and faster takedowns as new rules take effect, targeting misinformation ahead of a major global AI summit.
NEW DELHI: India has tightened its rules regulating artificial intelligence, requiring social media platforms to clearly label AI-generated content and comply with government takedown requests within three hours.
The updated regulations from the Ministry of Information Technology will come into effect on February 20. They significantly shrink the window for removing content that violates local laws from the previous 36-hour requirement.
The rules apply to any content “created, generated, modified or altered through any computer resource” unless it is generated in “routine or good-faith editing”. Platforms like X, Instagram and Facebook must now label synthetic or AI-manipulated media with permanent markings that cannot be suppressed or removed.
Synthetic data is defined as information “that appears to be real…or is likely to be perceived as indistinguishable from a natural person or real-world event.” The announcement comes as New Delhi prepares to host a major global AI summit next week, which will be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders.
Online platforms are also required to deploy automated tools to prevent the dissemination of illegal content. This includes false documents and sexually abusive material.
India has more than a billion internet users, and AI-generated misinformation is becoming widespread in the world’s most populous country. Last year, the government launched an online portal called Sahyog to automate the process of sending government notices to major platforms.
Top AI and digital leaders like Microsoft and Google have announced major investments in India in recent months. They are looking to court users in the world’s fifth-largest economy.
The rules were first issued in 2021 and have now been amended to address the rapid rise of generative AI.
