India Moves to Regulate AI Tools, Experts Say Too Much

India's move to regulate AI tools sparks debate among experts and tech leaders.

India Moves to Regulate AI Tools, Experts Say Too Much

The Indian government has announced that AI models or programs that haven’t been thoroughly tested or aren’t reliable should only be available on the internet in India if the government has given its approval. Industry experts and tech leaders, however, are not too happy with the advisory.

AI Regulation Representational Image generated by AI

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Friday announced that platforms in India that are testing or training an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, will need to seek permission from the government before launching the product. The advisory reads that the use of under-testing / unreliable Artificial Intelligence model(s) /LLM/Generative/AI, software(s) or algorithm(s) and its availability to the users on Indian Internet must be done so with explicit permission of the Government of India.

The advisory falls under the new IT rules. Here is everything that the new AI regulation advisory said, and the reaction of the experts in 5 points.

1. AI Models Need Government Approval

The latest advisory on AI suggests that AI models or programs that haven’t been thoroughly tested or aren’t reliable, such as the Large Language Models (LLM) or Generative AI, should only be available on the internet in India if the government has given its approval. The advisory reads that these tools can be deployed only after appropriately labeling the possible and inherent fallibility or unreliability of the output generated. Further, consent popup mechanism may be used to explicitly inform the users about the possible inherent fallibility or unreliability of output generated.

2. Rule Applies to ‘Significant’ Platforms, Not Startups

Rajeev Chrandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for IT, clarified that this rule applies only to ‘significant’ platforms and not to startups in India. The minister did not clarify what he meant by ‘significant platforms’.

3. Experts React to the Advisory

Many experts and tech leaders in the industry, however, are not too happy with the advisory. Bindu Reddy, who is the CEO of Abacus AI and has formerly worked with Amazon and Google, says with the new advisory ‘India just kissed its future goodbye!’. Thilak Rao, who is the creator of Private LLM, says ‘What a way to put the brakes on AI in India’, reacting to the advisory. Nikhil Pahwa, who is the founder of Medianama, even calls the rules ‘illegal’.

4. Government Working on AI Regulation Framework

Chandrasekhar recently announced that the government is working on an AI regulation framework, set to be out in June or July 2024. The aim is to use AI for economic progress while managing any potential dangers. Plans to release the framework have been on hold for some time, with the IT Minister initially planning to unveil the first draft in May 2023.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the Indian government’s move to regulate AI tools has sparked a debate among experts and tech leaders. While the government aims to ensure that AI models are reliable and safe for use, experts believe that the advisory may hinder the growth of AI in India.