Indian tech leaders urge homegrown AI safety rules over US model

India’s leading technology executives say the country must craft its own AI safety framework tailored to local languages, scale and an application‑first ecosystem, rather than adopt the US voluntary pact. The White House Accord on Super Intelligence, signed on Sept 29 by President Donald Trump and senior figures from firms such as Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Nvidia and Elon Musk’s xAI, outlines internal controls, dedicated oversight teams, external audits and board‑level review. Indian experts argue the accord leans heavily on self‑policing and lacks binding force. Nasscom chairman and Fractal Group chief Srikanth Velamakanni warned that as models gain more autonomy, safety measures must outpace capability to avoid catastrophic outcomes. He contrasted the US approach with the EU’s risk‑based regulations and China’s state‑directed controls, suggesting India can use its role in the Global Partnership on AI and the momentum from the AI Impact Summit to shape a trusted ecosystem. Counterpoint Research analyst Soumen Mandal called for a domestic pledge covering pre‑deployment testing, independent audits, serious‑issue reporting and clear accountability. Grant Thornton Bharat partner Amit Khanna stressed that India’s focus is on AI applications, not large foundational models, and any framework should ensure reliable performance across vernacular languages without exploiting knowledge gaps. Gnani.ai co‑founder Ganesh Gopalan said global frontier models must obey the same rules as Indian ones to keep competition fair. While all agreed that voluntary steps are needed, they differ on sufficiency. Velamakanni said self‑regulation alone is “woefully insufficient” and urged binding rules on transparency, incident reporting and accountability. A hybrid model was proposed: mandatory rules for defence, health, banking and government use, and voluntary standards for fast‑moving technical areas where regulators lack expertise. The Indian government is already reviewing AI policy, with IT Secretary S Krishnan and Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw indicating a new legal framework may be forthcoming.

Context

India’s push comes as global powers experiment with varied AI governance models, highlighting the need for a balanced approach that protects citizens while fostering innovation.