Technology Law and Digital Law

India's digital and AI regulatory framework has entered a decisive new phase. On 10 February 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (“MeitY”) notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026, introducing a comprehensive regulatory framework specifically addressing Synthetically Generated Information (“SGI”). These amendments, which took effect on 20 February 2026, mark India's response to the proliferation of deepfakes, AI-generated content, and other forms of synthetic media that can deceive users and cause significant harm.

On 26 April 2026, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issued an advisory titled, “Defending Against Frontier AI Driven Cyber Risks” (Advisory), categorised as high severity. While framed as an advisory, it reflects a clear regulatory shift. Artificial Intelligence (AI) incident preparedness is no longer a matter of best practice, it is increasingly a baseline compliance expectation against which organisational readiness may be assessed.

India is positioning itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence, moving beyond being merely a consumer to becoming an active contributor in AI development and governance. The country recently hosted the AI Impact Summit 2026, where participating nations endorsed a declaration establishing a framework for international AI cooperation based on shared principles of safe, trustworthy, and human-centric AI development.