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On October 8, 2026, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government would ask the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) department to prepare a regulation-focused consultation paper on artificial intelligence, expected within a month. He named AI safety as the central concern, with deepfakes and other AI harms close behind. The paper was only promised on that date. Reports reviewed for this article do not show that it has been published, and nothing in them establishes what it will legally require.
What was announced, and what it is not
The announcement is a plan, not a rule. Vaishnaw said he would request the department to produce a consultation paper, and that the government would move to regulation only after that paper is out. A month from October 8, 2026 falls around November 8, 2026, so that is the date the government’s own timeline points to. Treat it as a target. A consultation paper sets out proposals for public comment; it does not create binding obligations on its own, and a published draft can change before any final rules are notified.
Three things are therefore still open as of October 9, 2026: whether the paper has appeared, what it proposes, and how comments will be taken. The same-day reports of the remarks, including the DD India account that credits the wording to PTI, are the primary sources for the minister’s words. They are not a transcript of the event.
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Safety as the central priority
Vaishnaw singled out safety as the most important point of the planned paper. As quoted by DD India, he said: “I’ll 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.” The remark was made at an event for the release of the World Development Report, where he was speaking as IT Minister.
#1 Best Overall
Deepfakes and other AI harms
Deepfakes were the harm he discussed most directly. DD India reports him describing them as “a nuisance which can cause huge problems in society.” The reports reviewed do not say which specific deepfake practices the paper would cover, so readers should not assume a particular prohibition or labelling duty until the text is public.
A human-first, techno-legal approach
Vaishnaw described the approach as “techno-legal” and said stakeholders should be brought on board. He also framed the work around a human-first approach, skilling, and making sure that no person is left behind. These are stated aims. None of the reports converts them into a specific obligation.
Where industry fits
According to the reports, Vaishnaw said industry should carry primary responsibility for cybersecurity, safety, user harm, psychological disorders and deepfakes. This is a reported policy position, not a finalised allocation of legal liability. How any such responsibility would be written into law depends on the consultation text.
Measures that already apply
The consultation paper is separate from the rules India already has. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has summarised the existing framework, and those measures are in force as the government describes them. Their scope is narrower than a general AI law: they target synthetic and deepfake content through the intermediary and platform framework.
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| Measure | Date | What the government says it covers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology Act, 2000 | Act of 2000 | Provisions that address aspects of deepfakes | PIB release, July 30, 2026 |
| Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 | 2021 | Platform due diligence obligations for intermediaries | PIB release, July 30, 2026 |
| Amendments to the IT Rules | February 10, 2026 | Synthetically generated information: clear labelling and traceable metadata for permissible AI-generated content, plus stronger platform due diligence | PIB release, July 30, 2026 |
| Intermediary advisory | March 16, 2026 | Abusive, defamatory, objectionable, derogatory and misleading synthetically generated information | PIB release |
| CERT-In advisory on deepfake threats | November 2024 | Guidance on deepfake threats | PIB release |
Two points matter for reading this table. First, the February 2026 amendments are the most specific rules on AI-generated content cited so far, and the PIB summary does not replace the notified text when you need to know exact obligations or effective dates. Second, an advisory is guidance to intermediaries rather than an amendment to the rules, so its weight is different from the Act and the IT Rules.
Will India regulate deepfakes?
India already regulates some deepfake and synthetic content through the IT Act and IT Rules, as described above. The consultation paper is expected to address safety and deepfakes more broadly, but the reports do not say what it will require. Whether it adds new duties, changes the existing February 2026 labelling rules, or only seeks comment on a framework is not established.
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What AI rules already apply in India?
There is no single AI law in force that the reports identify. The applicable rules are the IT Act, 2000, the IT Rules, 2021 as amended, and the advisories listed above. Those instruments mainly govern intermediaries and platforms and the synthetic content they carry. Anyone deploying AI in India should check how each one applies to their service before relying on a general summary, including this one.
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- Whether MeitY publishes the consultation paper on or around early November 2026, and whether it is posted on an official government site.
- The paper’s definitions of AI safety, deepfakes and synthetically generated information, and whether they match the terms used in the February 2026 amendments.
- The stated comment period and how stakeholders can submit views.
- Whether the paper proposes new legal obligations or only principles, and which parts would need separate notification.
- Any change to the industry-responsibility position described by Vaishnaw.
Until the paper is public, the most reliable statements are the minister’s own words and the existing rules as the government has summarised them.
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