New AI law to be modelled on IT Act

There is concern on the rapid rise of deepfakes

- RISHI RAJ

AFTER FORMALISING RULES to identify, label, and regulate deepfakes and other synthetically generated content, the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) will soon bring out a comprehensive legislation on Artificial Intelligence.

Official sources told FE that once public consultation on the draft rules closes on November 6, the government will finalise them. However, to avoid possible legal challenges, a full-fledged AI law, on the lines of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, will follow.

This means a Bill will be introduced in Parliament to address issues related to deepfakes and synthetically generated content.

Currently, the proposed rules are framed under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which derive their powers from the IT Act. Legal experts point out that since the Act does not specifically deal with AI, any such rules could be challenged in court.