Indian govt to release consultation paper on AI regulation:Deepfakes, AI safety, and a human-first approach to be key focuses, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday, 8 October 2026, that the time has come for AI regulations and that the government will issue a consultation paper on this in a month. Vaishnaw said that AI safety, deepfakes and a human-first approach will be key focus areas of the upcoming consultation paper on AI regulations. He said that the consultation paper will form the base for AI regulations, adding that the time has come for India to have such a framework. I will request the department to come out with a regulation-focused consultation paper, which focuses on safety. That’s the most important point: safety related to AI use. – Vaishnaw Other areas of focus would be AI harms, including deepfakes, a human-first approach, and skilling, added the IT minister. Deepfakes are a nuisance that can cause huge problems Vaishnaw termed deepfakes a “nuisance which can cause huge problems in society”, and noted that their quality is improving every day. Deepfakes lure people into wrong things People believe them, and it sets a totally wrong precedent. It sets a totally wrong narrative, and people get lured into doing wrong things and believing wrong things. – IT minister The consultation paper would also include skilling and a commitment to leave no person behind.
“Humanity has to be the most important part of change that has happened,” he said. Vaishnaw said the government has always maintained that AI and other technologies cannot be regulated by law alone. “We have to bring a techno-legal solution,” the minister said, adding that stakeholders must be brought on board. The minister made it clear that the industry must shoulder the bulk of the responsibility.
The industry has to take the primary responsibility, he said, listing out issues such as cybersecurity, safety, user harm, psychological disorders, and deepfakes. So we will come out with that paper in a month’s time from now, and based on that we’ll go forward with the regulation. -Vaishnaw