New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) India’s final AI Governance Guidelines opt for coordination over control, setting out an agile, principle-based framework that supports innovation while managing risk through practical, evidence-led tools, Nasscom, the premier trade association for the IT industry, said on Friday, praising the new guidelines.

The proposed architecture, comprising the AI Governance Group (AIGG), Technology and Policy Expert Committee (TPEC), and the AI Safety Institute (AISI), enables effective coordination and a whole-of-government approach without creating an over-centralised regulator.

According to Nasscom, the Guidelines’ emphasis that sectoral regulators remain in the lead on enforcement and oversight reflects a deliberate effort to preserve the balance between flexibility and accountability.

“On risk mitigation, the Guidelines have absorbed the call for proportionality and evidence-based governance-voluntary measures, graded liability, and a non-punitive AI incidents system forms the backbone of this approach,” the apex IT trade body said.

The direction is pragmatic, learn from actual incidents, iterate governance tools, and avoid regulating hypothetical harms, it added.

“The legal reform track mirrors our recommendation to rely on existing statutes, identify real gaps, and undertake targeted amendments before considering any new horizontal law,” Nasscom noted.

The not-for-profit trade body further said that the guidelines’ explicit statement that “a separate AI law is not needed at this stage” is a near-verbatim reflection of our position.

India’s final AI Governance Guidelines are, in effect, an operationalisation of the balanced, innovation-centred model that the industry, led by Nasscom, has consistently proposed.

They succeed in embedding flexibility, shared responsibility, and evidence-based risk management at the policy level, Nasscom noted.

Earlier, the government unveiled the India AI Governance Guidelines under the IndiaAI Mission, providing a framework to ensure safe, inclusive, and responsible adoption of the frontier technology across sectors.

The launch marks a key milestone ahead of the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, as India strengthens its leadership in responsible AI governance, said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The guidelines outlined seven ethical principles, recommendations across six governance pillars, an action plan with short, medium, and long-term timelines, and practical guidance for industry, developers, and regulators to ensure transparent and accountable AI deployment.

–IANS

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