India Bolsters Sovereign AI and Enforces Strict Deepfake Rules

India is significantly bolstering its sovereign artificial intelligence capabilities and has implemented stricter regulations to combat deepfakes and misinformation. The government's multi-pronged approach under the IndiaAI Mission, approved on March 7, 2024, with an outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore over five years, aims to establish a robust, inclusive, and self-reliant AI ecosystem. This initiative focuses on building technological sovereignty across the entire AI value chain, encompassing semiconductor manufacturing, computing infrastructure, foundational models, and advanced research.

As part of these efforts, India joined the Pax Silica coalition at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 to secure the global silicon supply chain. MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan recently highlighted that India is entering a decisive phase in its semiconductor and AI ambitions, emphasizing competitive compute pricing, with access to AI compute available at approximately ₹65 per GPU hour for researchers, startups, MSMEs, and students. The India AI Governance Guidelines, released in November 2025, provide a comprehensive risk-based framework for responsible AI development and deployment.

In a separate but related development, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has tightened deepfake rules through amendments to the Information Technology Rules, 2021, notified on February 10, 2026. These revised measures mandate clear labelling and traceable metadata for permissible AI-generated content. Online intermediaries are now required to remove unlawful content within three hours of receiving a valid government or court order, a significant reduction from the previous 36-hour deadline. Furthermore, complaints involving sensitive categories such as nudity and impersonation must be addressed within two hours.