Parliamentary panel suggests licensing requirements for AI content creators

A parliamentary committee has recommended that the government explore the feasibility of licensing requirements for AI content creators and make labelling of AI-generated videos and content mandatory, as part of efforts to combat the spread of fake news.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey, also asked the government to devise legal and technological measures to identify and prosecute individuals and organisations disseminating such content.

The committee’s draft report was recently submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and will be tabled in Parliament during the next session. It also called for “close coordination between the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and other Ministries and departments.”

While the committee’s suggestions are not binding, its recommendations are often accepted by the government. The panel noted that MeitY has already constituted a nine-member body to examine challenges arising from “the issue of deepfakes.”

Two ongoing projects in this regard include fake speech detection using a deep learning framework and the design and development of software to identify deepfake videos and images, it said.

The report observed that advances in technology, particularly in AI, could provide tools to address concerns over fake news. However, the ministries concerned had conveyed that AI, in its current form, cannot be used for fact-checking as it relies on pre-existing information available online. Instead, AI could help flag potentially fake or misleading content for human review, the committee said.

“AI and machine learning (ML) technologies are increasingly being employed to enhance the ability to detect, verify, and prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation,” the committee noted, adding that several research projects and initiatives are exploring such uses.

Calling fake news a “serious threat” to public order and the democratic process, the committee recommended amending penal provisions, increasing fines, and fixing accountability. It also favoured the mandatory presence of fact-checking mechanisms and internal ombudsmen in all print, digital, and electronic media organisations.

At the same time, it stressed that such measures should evolve through consensus-building among media bodies and other stakeholders.