In talks with over 30 countries on technical and legal solutions for deepfakes: Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi [India], February 16 (ANI): Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Monday addressed the darker side of AI and emphasised on the need for legislative protection against the misuse of AI in media. Speaking on the crisis around the spread of "persistent disinformation, misinformation and deepfakes", the minister said there have to be global technical and legal solutions, and that India is in talks with ministers of more than 30 countries in this regard.
He was addressing a fireside conversation titled 'Rewarding Our Creative Future in the Age of AI' at the India AI Impact Summit with Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO Motion Picture Association.
"Innovation without trust is a liability," Vaishnaw stated that the government is working on strict regulations to mandate watermarking and labelling of AI-generated content to protect the "authenticity" of human creativity.
"Misinformation, Disinformation, deepfakes, they are attacking the foundation of society," Vaishnaw sai,d responding to a question around how national security and safety will be ensured amid spread of misinformation and deepfakes.
"It is attacking the trust between the institutions of family, of social identities, of governance. It is striking at the root of these institutions and trust. The social media platforms the AI Models and creators all of us will have to take the responsibilty in making sure that new technology strengthen the trust rather than betlitting it and creating break up of instiutions without break up," the Union Information Technology Minister said.
The minister highlighted that menace like deepfake and data breach should be "non-negotiable" for the entire country and society.
"Freedom of speech itself relies on trust, and that trust must be protected," Vaishnaw said.
"When you mention the OTT world. My request is that in the digital world, there are no physical boundaries people forget cultural context. So global platforms must ensure the cultural context and it should be based on the country it's being watched rather than on the parent company," he said.
The minister further highlighted the need for balance between IT and innovation.
"It requires lots of technical tools to be created. We need technical guardrails and technical features in the AI. We are very close to the industry to find these technologies," he said.
During the discussion, Minister Vaishnaw also touched upon the topic of AI's impact on jobs and its adoption in India, and said, "The talent pipeline which is getting created in India is create high. Natural growth is happening and we are promoting this."
"We are very soon launching Create in India Mission in line with the Semiconductor Mission. We create future ready talent pipeline to meet our upcoming requirements for the next 25 years," the minister said about the government's efforts in this direction.
"There should not be a diluting effect but complementing effect of AI into our lives. Many of the developed countries are looking at it as the benchmark," he said.
Highlighting the announcement made in the Budget 2026 around content creator labs, the minister said, "In the Budget 2026, we announced the content creator labs in 15000 schools. Throughout the country we are opening these labs with help of the industry. We have world's best students in 350 universities in the semiconductors sector similarly we will have more students in AI."
The minister said that technology and creativity are going simultaneously and they are both for industrial world and creative world.
Addressing concerns like AI threatening innovation, Vaishnaw said that the common understanding today is clear that artificial intelligence is here to stay. It is not a threat to human storytelling, it is an opportunity for growth, said Vaishnaw. AI will not replace creativity; it will coexist with it, the minister added.
"Adapting to new technology is like a fish taking to water," Vaishnaw said.
The Union Minister further said, "At the same time, AI must evolve alongside a strong copyright and intellectual property framework. Any system that protects human creativity, respects the value creators bring through their work, and enhances innovation, rather than diluting it, is a good system."
"We are very focused AI diffusion and, AI adoption. making sure that productive gains come both in the creative industries and other industries. We look forward for many more cooperation and we look for win-win like situation," he said. (ANI)