Rajeev Chandrasekhar believes it's time to replace the outdated IT Act with a new law that addresses both AI and the internet.
He feels the ongoing government discussions on AI regulations should lead to concrete action and the introduction of updated laws.
Chandrasekhar personally opposes the idea of an AI regulator, preferring an updated legal framework and existing court systems over additional bureaucratic layers.
Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, in a conversation with ET Now’s Sumita Kareer at the ET Now Business Conclave 2025, spoke about India’s efforts to develop and govern AI. He stated that India has made progress in AI adoption and applications over the last two years. Chandrasekhar also discussed the need for new laws to address the growing concerns surrounding the misuse of Artificial Intelligence, especially amidst its rapid and widespread adoption.
SurveyAnswering the question of the need for AI regulations, he stated that the IT Act, which regulates the technology in India is itself 25 years old and does not include regulations for the internet and AI.
“If you ask me today candidly, I would say that, currently, we need a new law. We need to replace the IT Act with a new law because the IT Act doesn’t even mention the internet, and it certainly doesn’t mention AI. So, if you have an Act that doesn’t understand two big phenomena that are driving our lives and our digital economy, we certainly need a law that is much more contemporary,” he added.
He also stated that the discussion about AI regulations has been happening within the government. “This is a debate and discussion that has happened in the government. I hope that the government takes this forward and introduces a new law or a series of laws that address the separate issues we are facing today with safety and harm online.”
Will India need an AI regulator?
On being asked if India needs an AI regulator to govern AI, Chandrasekhar stated, “We should not require another regulator or another layer of oversight. The law should be enough. And there is a court system with an appeal system that should suffice. This is my personal view, of course, different people have different views about creating institutions like regulators.”
“But I personally, as an individual, would not like to create one more institution. That’s a 25-year-old, smart, young lady or young boy, who’s creating incredible innovations, having to go through a bureaucratic process in front of regulators. I don’t think that’s a great thing to do,” he added.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
