The Indian Government announced on Tuesday that the forthcoming Digital India Act (DIA) will institute stringent measures against misinformation and ‘high-risk AI’ to protect users. The first draft of this seminal Bill is expected to be unveiled in the initial week of June.
In the second round of pre-draft consultations, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, underscored that the government plans to establish necessary safeguards to combat AI-induced misinformation. A component of the DIA will also address “high-risk and deep fake AI”.
Chandrasekhar further announced that while there will be no specific legislation to regulate AI, the DIA will lay out boundaries to control threats from high-risk AI. He also emphasized that this new legislation is designed to fuel innovation among startups and not hinder it.
Revealing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stance on the issue, Chandrasekhar stated that the government’s actions should not impede innovation within the startup ecosystem. The DIA aims to stimulate such innovation rather than obstruct it.
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The Union Minister also addressed the problem of misinformation, stating that the IT Rules currently place the responsibility of discerning misinformation on platforms. If required, the DIA will provide a definition for misinformation.
As part of the run-up to the unveiling of the DIA, the government has been meeting with policy experts and stakeholders. The completion of this much-anticipated legislation is expected within the next few months.
Earlier in March, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) initiated the first round of consultations on the DIA. The Act’s primary objective is to bolster India’s goal of becoming a key player in future technologies.
For the first time, the design, architecture, and goals of a Bill are under discussion at its pre-introduction stage during the Digital India Dialogues. The proposed Bill is set to propel India towards its goal of becoming a trillion-dollar digital economy.
The tech landscape and the Internet have seen substantial evolution since the introduction of the Information Technology Act (IT Act) in 2000. The new legislation is designed to be adaptable, keeping pace with market trends, technological disruptions, and ensuring the protection of digital citizens.
This news is based on an article from the Latestly website.
