Synopsis
India's IT Ministry proposed stricter rules for AI-generated content, mandating continuous and clear visibility of labels. This move aims to enhance transparency and platform accountability but raises concerns about feasibility, costs for creators, and potential impacts on creative expression and user experience. Industry stakeholders are weighing the benefits of trust against implementation challenges.Listen to this article in summarized format
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) last week proposed further amendments to IT rules requiring AI content users to ensure that labels identifying synthetically generated information be continuously and clearly visible throughout the duration of such content.
This goes beyond the earlier requirement of “prominent” visibility, introducing a stricter standard of persistent, uninterrupted disclosure.
This requirement is applicable to all users of social media and AI tools, and not just digital news platforms.
The deadline for sending feedback on the proposed amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2026, is May 7.
According to a report by New Delhi-based public policy consultancy Koan Advisory Group, the proposed amendments mark India’s first dedicated regulatory push to address harms arising from synthetically generated information (SGI), signalling a shift toward greater platform accountability.
Experts said the move to continuous labelling would raise the compliance bar substantially.
“Subjectivity is out and objective criteria has found favour,” said Sajai Singh, partner at JSA Advocates and Solicitors, adding that this could lead to prescriptive norms around font size, contrast and placement.
Such requirements may fundamentally alter how content is produced and consumed. Platforms and creators may need to reserve permanent screen space for disclosures, potentially disrupting creative formats such as short-form videos besides increasing costs.
“Costs of creating content may skyrocket for budding creators,” Singh said, while also raising questions about viewer experience in an already crowded visual interface.
This could also raise legal risks for intermediaries, particularly around their safe harbour protections under Section 79 of the IT Act. Even technical glitches causing labels to disappear could expose platforms to liability, Singh noted.
From an industry standpoint, the intent behind the amendments has been largely welcomed.
Paritosh Desai, chief product officer at IDfy, a platform that provides identity verification, digital KYC, and fraud prevention solutions, said continuous labelling will help improve transparency and build trust in an increasingly AI-driven digital ecosystem.
However, execution remains a challenge.
“As content gets edited, reshared, and recombined, ensuring labels remain accurate and persistent will require robust detection and consistent standards across platforms,” Desai said.
Without interoperability and clear technical benchmarks, experts warned that compliance could become uneven, undermining the proposed amendment’s objectives.
Koan Advisory, which convened a multi-stakeholder roundtable in collaboration with Federation of Indian Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (Fisme) to unpack the operational readiness and implementation challenges associated with the new rules, pointed out that while the proposed amendments aim to curb misinformation and enhance accountability, they also introduce complex trade-offs.
Persistent labelling could blur distinctions between satire, parody, and legitimate creative expression, potentially creating a chilling effect on speech, it said in its report.
As MeitY moves toward finalising the proposed amendments post May 7, stakeholders said the focus must shift to balancing transparency with usability and innovation.
If implemented effectively, continuous labelling could evolve into a foundational trust layer for India’s digital economy, but missteps in execution risk burdening platforms and creators alike while diluting user experience, they said.
