Govt may look at new law to combat social media, fake news and AI

Union Minister of Electronics, IT, and Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ashwini Vaishnaw told parliament that a balanced approach was needed to combat fake news while protecting freedom of speech and that the government is open to a new law to this end.

Vaishnaw highlighted the critical challenges posed by the emerging AI landscape, social media accountability, and the need for robust legal frameworks. The minister underlined the importance of a balanced approach to ensure accurate narratives in the digital age. 

“It is a major challenge that societies across the world are facing—the accountability of social media, particularly in the context of fake news and the creation of fake narratives,” he remarked. 

He emphasised that establishing societal and legal accountability requires a significant consensus. “These are the issues where freedom of speech comes on one hand and accountability and having a proper real news network getting created, on the other hand. These are things which need to be debated and if the house agrees and if there is a consensus in the entire society we can come up with the new law,” he added.

The minister also commented on AI and the need to govern ethical issues that may arise from its usage. “Ethical issues in AI are a global concern, and India is committed to addressing these challenges through robust debate and responsible innovation. The tools developed under these projects will ensure that India stays at the forefront of ethical AI development,” Vaishnaw explained.

The minister also tabled in parliament details of the eight projects initiated for developing tools and technologies within the country to address AI governance and privacy issues. These include projects at IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee and NIT Raipur.