Ashwini Vaishnaw calls for a new AI law, reversing MeitY’s own position and his 2023 Parliamentary reply
Vaishnaw now says India needs a new AI law, even as MeitY had previously said it was not considering one. He also said the government is in talks with industry to balance innovation and safety.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
The article highlights a clear policy shift: Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is now backing a dedicated AI law, which runs against MeitY’s recent stance and his own earlier parliamentary reply. It also folds in related comments on deepfakes, fake news, and India’s access to AI models.
India’s tech minister is now saying the country may need a brand-new rulebook for AI, even though earlier the government said it could use old laws instead. It is like fixing a fast new toy with a manual written for a very old machine.
Analysis
Policy reversal
Ashwini Vaishnaw told PTI that India needs a new AI law because AI is very different from the environment when the IT Act was written in 2000. He said MeitY is discussing a framework with industry and wants to balance innovation with regulation so citizens stay safe. He later repeated that a new AI law is needed and that it will take substantial work with industry.
Why this stands out
The article says that view clashes with earlier statements from the ministry and from Vaishnaw himself. In December 2025, MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan had said the government was not planning a dedicated AI law and preferred to use existing laws where possible. The piece also points back to Vaishnaw’s 2023 parliamentary reply, which said the government was not considering a law to regulate AI growth in India.
Earlier government positions
The story places this latest statement against a broader record of caution. It cites the November 2025 release of AI Governance Guidelines, where the committee chair said the goal was not to frame the document as something that would slow AI adoption. It also recalls 2023 remarks by then MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar that AI regulation would come through the Digital India Act and focus on user harm. That law, the article notes, is now stalled.
Other issues Vaishnaw raised
Vaishnaw also said India should get access to Anthropic’s Mythos model soon, but only after US government approval, and the article says there is no official confirmation yet from Anthropic or the Indian government. He added that banks and financial firms are already testing systems for vulnerabilities using available models. On fake news and deepfakes, he argued that harmful content should be removed and that deepfakes need technical and legal responses.
Key points
- Vaishnaw said India needs a new AI law and said the government is talking with industry on a framework.
- His remarks conflict with MeitY’s earlier stance and his own 2023 parliamentary reply that the government was not considering such a law.
- The article cites December 2025 comments from MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan favoring existing laws over a new AI-specific one.
- Vaishnaw also said India should get access to Anthropic’s Mythos model soon, but only after US approval.
- He said deepfakes and fake news need technical and legal responses, and that banks are testing systems for vulnerabilities.
If the government and industry land on a workable framework, India could get clearer rules without shutting down innovation. That could help companies build AI products more confidently while giving citizens more protection from harmful uses like deepfakes.
The reversal could add uncertainty if the government does not quickly define what the new law would actually cover. A vague or heavy-handed framework could also slow deployment, especially for startups and sectors like banking that are already testing AI systems.
