The government will not budge on its proposal requiring continuous tagging of AI-generated content on social media platforms and is also working on a timeline to define advisories issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) which will be mandatory for intermediaries to adhere to, a senior government official said.
“We will not waive the AI labeling rule. Commitment is very weak on the part of companies,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
The proposals are part of amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Ethics) Rules 2021, which were released for public consultation earlier this year.
Among the four major changes proposed are a mandate for continuous and clear labeling of AI-generated content under Rule 3(3)(a)(ii), mandatory compliance of government consultations, clarifications, orders, directions, standards etc. under Rule 3(4), expansion of powers of the Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) under Rule 14(2), submission of user generated content related to news and current affairs (including Community Feedback on X) under the Ministry of Information and Monitoring Broadcast (MIB) through Rule 8(1).
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Regarding Rule 3(4), the official quoted above said the amendment would remain in place but the government planned to introduce a schedule listing the consultations that would be binding. “We are trying to provide a timeline. Whatever advice we want to adhere to, we will mention it in the schedule. Some of them are general in nature whenever any issue arises, but some of them are really intended to be effective, so they will be mentioned in the schedule,” the official said.
However, a final decision has not yet been taken on the proposals regarding the role of the MIB in user-generated content and the expanded powers of the IDC. According to the official, MeitY is expected to hold discussions with MIB this week. The department is still reviewing more than 6,000 emails received during the public consultation period, which ended on May 7, two MIB officials said. Most of the comments received by MeitY related to the proposed role of the MIB and IDC, officials said.
“We are in contact with MIB. They have to make the final decision on the third part regarding publishers and content. There has been no discussion between MeitY and MIB yet,” the official said.
HT had previously reported that the proposals for the MIB and IDC had drawn criticism from industry groups representing major technology and telecom companies.
Organizations such as the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and the Broadband India Forum (BIF) have argued that intermediaries are already regulated under the IT Act and have warned that a broad definition of “news and current affairs content” could include satire, parody, citizen journalism and casual discussions of current events. The groups also objected to the proposed expansion of the IDC’s powers, saying it could allow the committee to examine matters referred by the MIB even without a formal complaint.
The two bodies also raised concerns about proposed labeling requirements for artificial intelligence. Permanently visible tags can create technical challenges, impact user experience and accessibility, and may not be the most effective way to identify AI-generated content, they said. The BIF proposed the use of metadata-based provenance systems, while the IAMAI sought to withdraw the proposal.
The MeitY official said the final rules could be finalized internally within a week or two, although the timeline for final notification of the rules has not been set.
