To encourage innovation, we chose to regulate only harm caused by AI: IndiaAI Mission CEO

Chennai, Oct 7 (PTI) As India is focussing on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for larger social good, we are prioritising innovation, while choosing to regulate only harm that can be caused by AI, said Abhishek Singh, CEO of IndiaAI Mission on Tuesday.

Singh was addressing the Conclave on AI Governance remotely. The conclave was organised by Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.

"Our key strength is primarily AI talent and the startup ecosystem that we have. If the regulations take over at this stage, we might be giving some advantage to the big tech and restraining the capabilities of our own AI industry and our own AI researchers," said Singh.

Elaborating further on how India proposes to regulate only harm that can be caused by AI, Singh said if any AI application causes damage or harm to people in any sector, the sector regulator will regulate that.

"So, AI applications in healthcare will be primarily regulated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). AI application in financial services will primarily be regulated by the Reserve Bank of India," added Singh.

According to Singh, one of the key institutional mechanisms that India has in place is the AI Safety Institute.

"The AI Safety Institute is a hub and spoke model in which the hub remains India AI vision and the spokes are various academic institutions, research institutions, industry partners and civil society organisations," said Singh.

Conclave on AI Governance is an official Pre-Summit Event of the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit in February.

Delivering the inaugural address, Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “As we start growing any technology, we have two sides -- good and the bad. There is the thin line that we need to draw to bring out certain regulations that will not kill the technology but prevent its misuse. That is what we are attempting to do." During the conclave, a report titled “The Algorithmic–Human Manager: AI, Apps, and Workers in the Indian Gig Economy" by CeRAI was released.

The report examines the impact of AI and digital technologies on the burgeoning blue-collar gig economy in India, including the significant challenges related to fairness, transparency, and worker dignity. PTI JR ROH