Leading tech companies including Meta and industry body Nasscom, along with AI experts, have expressed strong concerns over India’s draft AI rules. Critics argue that the draft’s stringent regulatory and compliance requirements could stifle innovation, create operational hurdles, and introduce regulatory overlaps, urging a more balanced and clear policy framework.
Key Highlights
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Meta, Big Tech firms caution India on overly stringent and fragmented AI draft rules
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Nasscom highlights risks of disjointed regulation impeding growth of India’s AI ecosystem
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Concerns raised over restrictive provisions like data access, audit, and compliance burdens
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Experts call for an updated, harmonized framework integrating existing data privacy laws
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Opposition to creation of separate AI regulator; preference for improving current enforcement capacity
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Calls for policies to support homegrown innovation while protecting user privacy and ethics
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Industry stresses need for collaborative, inter-ministerial approaches over multiple regulatory bodies
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Challenges flagged related to age verification, parental consent, and data breach reporting
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Prominent voices warn against regulatory uncertainty causing investor hesitation and slowed adoption
Detailed Report
India’s ambitious draft rules to regulate artificial intelligence technology have met resistance from key stakeholders including Meta, other major global tech companies, Nasscom, and independent experts. The core criticism centers around perceived excessive regulatory burdens, frequent overlaps with existing frameworks like the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, and unclear compliance requirements.
Nasscom, representing over 3,000 tech companies, warns that hastily enacted, fragmented AI regulation could dampen India’s rapidly evolving AI ecosystem, which is witnessing significant innovation and early adoption. The industry advocates enhancing coordination across ministries and strengthening current enforcement rather than imposing a new AI-specific regulator.
Concerns include the cost and complexity of age verification for AI uses, stringent parental consent rules, expansive government access to data, and mandatory internal audits. Experts also emphasize the need for a narrow, clear scope focused on ethical and privacy protections without suffocating innovation.
Thought leaders urge policymakers to foster a balanced policy environment that supports Indian AI innovators while safeguarding citizens, ensuring that regulatory interventions do not stunt the country’s potential as a global AI leader.
Sources: Economic Times, Legal Economic Times, Nasscom, The Legal Wire