India signals light-touch AI rules, favouring existing laws over new act

Summary

India’s IT ministry has indicated it does not plan to introduce a standalone AI law in the near term, preferring to regulate emerging risks through existing frameworks like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. Electronics and IT Secretary S. Krishnan told an AI industry event in New Delhi that his "inclination is to avoid" new regulation unless absolutely necessary, warning that India already has “many laws” and should not stifle innovation. At the same summit, IBM India and South Asia MD Sandip Patel argued that AI is at an inflection point and needs a shift from deployment "excitement" to disciplined stewardship focusing on safety, fairness and transparency. The messaging suggests India will try to position itself as an innovation-friendly AI hub while relying on sectoral regulators and general laws to handle harms, rather than fast-tracking a comprehensive AI statute. For global AI firms, that could make India a relatively permissive but still politically sensitive market, especially around data protection and critical infrastructure use cases.