The Centre is unlikely to dilute its proposed requirement for social media platforms to clearly label AI-generated content, according to a senior government official who spoke to Hindustan Times. The government is also considering a mechanism to specify which advisories issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) would be legally binding on intermediaries.
“We won’t compromise on the AI labeling rule. The compliance is very weak from the companies,” the official told HT.
Earlier this year, MeitY released new draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, for public consultation.
Apart from AI labelling, the proposed changes seek mandatory compliance with certain government advisories and directions, expand the powers of the Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC), and bring user-generated news and current affairs content under the ambit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
Binding Advisories Under Consideration: According to the official, the government plans to introduce a schedule identifying which advisories platforms must comply with. “We are trying to bring a schedule. Whichever advisories we want complied with, we will mention in the schedule. Some are general in nature whenever any issue comes, but some are really meant to be effective, so those will be mentioned in the schedule,” the official said.
What the AI Proposal Seeks: The AI labelling proposal builds on draft changes released by MeitY in April, which would require AI-generated visual content to carry a clear label throughout its duration and audio content to include an upfront disclosure. The draft also proposed technical measures such as metadata-based identifiers to help trace AI-generated content.
Debate Over MIB Oversight: While the AI labeling proposal appears settled, discussions are still underway on the MIB-related provisions and the proposed expansion of IDC powers. Officials said MeitY and MIB are expected to discuss the matter this week. The consultation process drew more than 6,000 responses.
For a detailed look at stakeholder feedback, readers can refer to MediaNama’s curated list of submissions on MeitY’s March 2026 draft IT Rules amendments here.
Critics argue that the proposal could expand MIB’s oversight to user-generated news and current affairs content. They say the broad definition of the category could cover commentary, citizen journalism, and discussions of public events.
Industry bodies, including IAMAI and BIF, have opposed several provisions. They argued that the broad definition of news and current affairs content could cover satire, parody, citizen journalism, and ordinary public discussions. The groups also raised concerns that the expanded IDC powers could allow scrutiny of content even without a formal complaint.
The AI labeling proposal has also faced pushback from industry groups, which say permanently visible labels could create technical and accessibility challenges. Some have suggested metadata-based alternatives instead.
The official told HT that MeitY could internally finalise the draft rules within the next 1-2 weeks, although the government has not set a timeline for formally notifying them.
To explore the broader debate around platform regulation and free expression, read stories from MediaNama’s recent event on IT Rules and the Future of Online Speech in India here.
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