IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

NEW DELHI: Electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said India is in discussions with ministers from over 30 countries to develop common technical and legal solutions to tackle the misuse of AI in media, as deepfakes and synthetic content pose growing risks to trust, democracy and creative industries.At the AI Impact Summit, Vaishnaw said rapid innovation without safeguards can become a liability. He stressed that govt is working on stringent rules to mandate watermarking and clear labelling of AI-generated content to protect authenticity of human creativity and original work.During a fireside conversation with Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO, Charles Rivkin, where discussions focused on safeguarding creators while enabling responsible use of AI in media and entertainment, Vaishnaw warned that misinformation, disinformation and deepfakes are “attacking the foundations of society” and said the responsibility to prevent misuse rests not just with govts but also with social media platforms, AI model developers and content creators.“Freedom of speech itself relies on trust, and that trust must be protected,” he said, adding issues such as deepfake and data breaches must be treated as “non-negotiable” by society. Govts across the world are seeking to balance development along with regulation so that growth is not stifled.India will soon roll out a ‘Create in India’ mission to boost its ‘orange economy’ and position the country as a global creative hub, Vaishnaw announced. The initiative is designed as a long-term, industry-and employment-focused push to drive the next 25 years of economic growth by strengthening India’s creative and cultural industries.He said the country’s fast-growing creator economy is already benefiting from strong digital public infrastructure and a large, skilled talent base, giving India a natural edge as a preferred global platform for creative production.Electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said India is in discussions with ministers from over 30 countries to develop common technical and legal solutions to tackle the misuse of AI in media, as deepfakes and synthetic content pose growing risks to trust, democracy and creative industries.At the AI Impact Summit, Vaishnaw said rapid innovation without safeguards can become a liability. He stressed that govt is working on stringent rules to mandate watermarking and clear labelling of AI-generated content to protect authenticity of human creativity and original work.During a fireside conversation with Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO, Charles Rivkin, where discussions focused on safeguarding creators while enabling responsible use of AI in media and entertainment, Vaishnaw warned that misinformation, disinformation and deepfakes are “attacking the foundations of society” and said the responsibility to prevent misuse rests not just with govts but also with social media platforms, AI model developers and content creators.“Freedom of speech itself relies on trust, and that trust must be protected,” he said, adding issues such as deepfake and data breaches must be treated as “non-negotiable” by society. Govts across the world are seeking to balance development along with regulation so that growth is not stifled.India will soon roll out a ‘Create in India’ mission to boost its ‘orange economy’ and position the country as a global creative hub, Vaishnaw announced. The initiative is designed as a long-term, industry-and employment-focused push to drive the next 25 years of economic growth by strengthening India’s creative and cultural industries.He said the country’s fast-growing creator economy is already benefiting from strong digital public infrastructure and a large, skilled talent base, giving India a natural edge as a preferred global platform for creative production.