India unveils new AI governance guidelines to encourage responsible adoption

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has unveiled the India AI Governance Guidelines, marking a major milestone in the country’s journey toward safe, inclusive, and responsible artificial intelligence (AI) adoption across sectors.

Published under the IndiaAI Mission, the guidelines propose a robust governance framework to foster cutting-edge innovation and safely develop and deploy AI for all while mitigating risks to individuals and society.

The guidelines were announced ahead of the India–AI Impact Summit 2026 as India strengthens its leadership in responsible AI governance. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is an Indian government ministry responsible for the promotion of electronics, information technology, and the internet.

India’s new AI governance guidelines

The guiding principle that defines the spirit of the framework is simple is ‘do no harm,’ commented Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, principal scientific advisor to the government of India. “We focus on creating sandboxes for innovation and on ensuring risk mitigation within a flexible, adaptive system. The IndiaAI Mission will enable this ecosystem and inspire many nations, especially across the Global South.”

The India AI Governance Guidelines are comprised of four key components:

1. Seven guiding principles (Sutras) for ethical and responsible AI.
2. Key recommendations across six pillars of AI governance.
3. An action plan mapped to short, medium, and long-term timelines.
4. Practical guidelines for industry, developers, and regulators to ensure transparent and accountable AI deployment.

The guidelines have been drafted by a high-level committee. “The committee went through extensive deliberations and prepared a draft report, which was opened for public consultation,” said Shri Abhishek Singh, additional secretary, MeitY, CEO IndiaAI, and DG NIC. “The inputs received are a clear sign of strong engagement across sectors.”

As AI continues to evolve rapidly, a second committee was formed to review the inputs and refine the final guidelines. “The government of India remains focused on ensuring that AI is accessible, affordable, and inclusive, while promoting a safe, trustworthy, and responsible ecosystem that fuels innovation and strengthens the AI economy,” Singh added.

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Why is AI governance so important?

Governance isn’t optional, it’s the backbone of AI adoption,” said Lee Bogner, global chief generative AI and AI strategic enterprise architect at Mars. “Without it, you’re risking bias, compliance failures and technical drift.”

Governance should be a key aspect of any AI program, agrees Andreas Welsch, thought leader and author of the AI Leadership Handbook. “After all, you need to know what you’re building towards and why, and who’s involved. Putting governance in place ensures that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and you can track the progress of your AI projects and their estimated versus realized value.”

What’s more, having a well-run governance process is also the foundation for compliance with rules and regulations. AI risks can be assessed and decisions can be taken whether or not to pursue an AI project to begin with, he added.

Earlier this month, the British Standards Institution (BSI) warned of a looming AI governance crisis in UK organizations.

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