India’s Ambitious AI Governance Framework
On February 15, 2026, India unveiled its AI Governance Guidelines, structured around seven guiding principles or Sutras. This framework aims to ensure that artificial intelligence serves as a catalyst for inclusive development, economic growth, and global competitiveness.
The Vision: ‘AI for All’
India’s overarching vision is encapsulated in the phrase “AI for All,” which seeks to leverage the transformative potential of AI to benefit every citizen by 2047, contributing to the national aspiration of Viksit Bharat.
The Seven Guiding Sutras
The seven guiding principles are:
- Trust is the Foundation: Building confidence in AI systems.
- People First: Prioritizing human needs and values.
- Innovation over Restraint: Encouraging creative solutions.
- Fairness & Equity: Ensuring unbiased outcomes.
- Accountability: Establishing responsibility for AI actions.
- Understandable by Design: Making AI systems transparent.
- Safety, Resilience & Sustainability: Promoting secure and lasting technologies.
Achievements Under the IndiaAI Mission
India’s deployment-first philosophy is evident through significant accomplishments:
- Over 38,000 GPUs have been onboarded through a subsidized national compute facility.
- AIKosh now hosts more than 9,500 datasets and 273 sectoral models, bolstering indigenous model development.
- The National Supercomputing Mission has operationalized over 40 petaflop systems, including AIRAWAT and PARAM Siddhi-AI.
- Educational initiatives support 500 PhDs, 5,000 postgraduates, and 8,000 undergraduates.
- With nearly 90 percent of startups integrating AI, the technology is deeply embedded in India’s innovation ecosystem.
Institutionalizing AI Governance
The guidelines aim to consolidate existing gains at a critical juncture. They adopt a principle-based, techno-legal approach and establish new institutions such as:
- AI Governance Group
- Technology & Policy Expert Committee
- AI Safety Institute
This institutional framework seeks to balance innovation with necessary safeguards, positioning India as a leader in responsible, inclusive, and trusted AI governance on a global scale.
Future-Ready Principles
The AI Governance framework’s principles are designed for cross-sectoral applicability and technology neutrality, ensuring relevance across various use cases and stages of technological evolution. Together, they provide a flexible and future-ready foundation for responsible AI development and deployment.
As India continues to embrace AI, these guidelines will play a crucial role in shaping a sustainable and equitable future.
