Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

NEW DELHI: Govt on Tuesday made it clear that responsible use of AI is no longer optional – and that a global consensus is already taking shape, with India in talks with more than 30 countries to address the risks and prevent AI misuse. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said safeguarding society from the harmful effects of AI, including deepfakes, misinformation and manipulation, has become a political and governance priority across nations. He said India is engaging with govts across regions to develop common technical and legal solutions to deal with AI misuse, signalling countries are moving beyond broad ethical principles to concrete action. “AI misuse cannot be handled merely by passing a law.” He said issues such as deepfakes and misinformation pose direct threats to democratic institutions, social trust and public safety, making govt intervention unavoidable. He noted that discussions are underway on watermarking AI-generated content, stronger accountability for platforms, and shared safety standards.