Govt. constitutes inter-ministerial body under Ashwini Vaishnaw to drive AI governance strategy

Under the leadership of Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, a high-level inter-ministerial body - AI Governance and Economic Group has been formed to drive the country's national AI governance strategy.    

Across ministries, departments and sectoral regulators, AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG) will coordinate policy and oversee cross-sectoral governance issues.

"The AIGEG will operate as the apex inter-ministerial body within India’s AI governance institutional framework. It will be supported by a Technology and Policy Expert Committee (TPEC), which will offer expert advisory to the AIGEG on global developments, emerging technologies, risks, regulation and other evolving priorities relating to AI policy and governance," according to a statement.

Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada has been appointed as the Vice Chairperson of AIGEG. The membership of this body comprises senior stakeholders from the government across policy development, science and technology, security and economic affairs. Besides several tasks for AI governance, AIGEG will assess the labour market impacts of AI adoption in advance, and develop mitigation strategies and transition plans that account for informality, skill diversity and regional variations.

In association with industry and other stakeholders, AIGEG will be instrumental in developing a roadmap for Al deployment over the next decade which includes assessment of job profiles affected, geographical concentration of impacts and the extent of automation and augmentation.

It will classify AI use cases into categories such as "deploy", "pilot" and "defer" based on readiness in terms of data availability, skills, legal frameworks and capacity for labour adjustment.

The AIGEG will review existing frameworks and issue guidelines to ensure firms remain accountable for compliance with local laws. It will oversee national AI governance initiatives across both the public and private sectors, promote responsible innovation and the beneficial deployment of AI in key industries, and assess emerging risks, regulatory gaps, and the need for legal reforms.

Its mandate also includes shaping and overseeing India’s position and strategic approach to AI governance.     

"The constitution of the AIGEG gives formal effect to institutional recommendations made in India’s AI Governance Guidelines and the Economic Survey," the statement said.

India’s AI Governance Guidelines propose the creation of an inter-ministerial body to drive a whole-of-government approach, aligning the efforts of ministries, departments, regulators, and advisory bodies around a unified national strategy.

The Economic Survey had also underscored the need for a coordinating authority that can align AI deployment with labour market realities and broader social stability priorities.