Use of AI: MeitY readies voluntary ethics code for artificial intelligence firms

Use of AI: The government is developing voluntary guidelines and ethical standards for organisations involved in artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI operations, according to sources who spoke to ET.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is crafting these standards as informal guiding principles for organisations, particularly those developing large language models (LLMs) or utilising data for AI and machine learning model training, as confirmed by an official.
“A law on AI is still some time away. We are talking to all stakeholders right now to see what can be included and trying to get the industry onboard on a common set of principles and guidelines,” the official said.
The voluntary guidelines are expected to be published in early 2025, according to another official.
The IT ministry’s voluntary code may include guidelines for organisations regarding training, deployment, commercial distribution, and procedures for identifying and addressing potential misuse of their LLM and AI platforms, a second official said.
“The G7 members have developed an 11-point code of conduct for companies which work in the AI and gen-AI space. Though what we are trying to develop will be completely different, the idea will be the same,” one of the officials quoted above said.
In March this year, the IT ministry issued guidance requesting platforms to ensure that “their computer resources do not permit any bias or discrimination or threaten the integrity of the electoral process” through AI, generative AI, LLMs or similar algorithms.
The ministry’s advisory also stipulated that all AI models, large-language models, generative AI software or algorithms under testing, in beta development or considered unreliable must obtain “explicit permission of the government of India” before deployment to Indian internet users.
Subsequently, the advisory was withdrawn, along with the requirement for organisations to register their AI or LLM prior to deployment.