The government of India is considering introducing a new law to deal with ‘deepfakes’, an artificial intelligence (AI) based cybercrime, Union Minister of State Electronics and Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Tuesday.
The internet and AI, although empowering, are being used to “cause harm, to cause chaos in society, to cause disorder, to incite violence”, the minister said. Deepfakes are “a very important, clear and present danger” to Indian internet users, he added.
“We have already worked very hard and created the IT Rules in April 2023. We will continue to create a framework, including but not limited to, if necessary, a new legislation to ensure that deepfakes or misinformation at large do not pose a threat… to the safety and trust of 1.2 billion Indians who will be on the Indian internet,” the minister was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
The IT ministry has also called two meetings with executives of social media firms on November 23-24. While the meeting on Thursday at Rail Bhawan will focus on the issue of manipulated images and videos, the one on Friday, called by Chandrasekhar, will see deliberations on general compliance with IT rules.
Sources familiar with the matter told CNN-News18 that besides ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, top officials from the ministry are expected to attend the meeting. Invitations for the meeting have also been sent to various intermediaries, including META, Google, and others.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flagged the misuse of artificial intelligence for creating deepfake videos calling it a ‘big concern’. PM Modi said he has asked AI chatbot ChatGpt to flag deepfakes and issue a warning when such videos are circulated on the internet.
“I watched a deepfake video in which I am doing garba. But the reality is that I have not done garba after my school life. Someone has made my deepfake video,” the prime minister said while addressing the media at the BJP’s Diwali Milan programme in Delhi.
The Uttar Pradesh (UP) cyber police are also planning to start a dedicated helpline to report cases concerning ‘deepfakes’ and work on a tool to ensure detection.
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