The mandate will apply to AI tool creators and social media platforms, with specific labelling requirements for visual and audio content.
New Delhi: India is nearing the finalisation of new regulations that will mandate the labelling of all AI-generated content to prevent synthetic media from "masquerading as truth," IT Secretary S Krishnan announced Tuesday.
Speaking at a Nasscom event titled "Building Safe Spaces for AI Impact," Krishnan stated that the rules are designed to empower digital users to better scrutinise the information they consume.
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The upcoming mandate will apply to two primary sectors: creators of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini, and social media platforms. Krishnan noted that these entities are largely major tech firms possessing the necessary expertise to implement such systems.
"Labelling something as AI-generated content offers people the opportunity to examine it...you know that it is AI-generated and that it is not masquerading as the truth," Krishnan said. He confirmed that the draft rules are currently undergoing legal vetting and are in the final stages of completion.
The initiative follows a proposal introduced in October to amend India's IT rules. The amendments seek to hold large platforms like Facebook and YouTube more accountable for identifying and flagging synthetic content, specifically to combat the "weaponisation" of deepfakes used to spread misinformation, damage reputations, influence elections, or facilitate fraud.
According to the IT ministry, the rise of viral synthetic media has demonstrated a dangerous capacity for creating "convincing falsehoods." The proposed legal framework would provide a foundation for labelling, traceability, and accountability.
Based on the draft amendments previously shared for public comment, companies would be required to embed metadata and use prominent visual or audible markers. For visual media, the label must cover at least 10% of the display; for audio, the disclosure must occur within the first 10% of the clip's duration.
Addressing the possibility of a dedicated "AI Act," Krishnan said that while the government is not ruling out future legislation, it believes current legal tools are sufficient for the time being.
"We are not having it tomorrow, or in the next session of Parliament, but in future we may need an Act. We have to see how we approach that regulation," Krishnan said. "We believe right now, the tools that we have, in terms of laws and Acts, are adequate to cover the requirements, but we don't rule out the possibility of having to enact new legislation in order to address any concerns."
With inputs from PTI
Published: 20 Jan 2026, 11:06 pm IST
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