Plea in Delhi HC against non-regulation of artificial intelligence, deepfake technologies in India
Dec 04, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 4 : A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been moved in the Delhi High Court against non-regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfake technologies in India.
The plea moved by the petitioner, Chaitanya Rohilla, an advocate practicing addressed critical issues concerning Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfake technologies in India, emphasizes the urgent need for their regulation.
Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Manohar Lal submitted that the malicious use of AI for misinformation through deepfakes, citing instances of targeted propaganda. Deepfakes, utilizing deep learning techniques, are described as a form of synthetic media with applications raising ethical concerns.
The Bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna on Monday listed the matter for January 4, 2024, after counsel appeared for respondents sought time to take instructions in this regard.
Centre counsel, meanwhile, also apprised the court that the Government has already taken this issue seriously and is in the process of making rules and regulations in this regard.
The PIL raised questions about the non-regulation of AI and deepfakes, highlighting the potential dire consequences. Key issues include defining AI, the risks associated with AI systems, the deceptive nature of deepfakes, recent incidents, the intersection of AI with personal data protection, and India's global standing.
The Plea emphasizes the exponential growth of AI, its integration into society, and the unique challenges it poses. The PIL also showed concerns about privacy violations, citing instances of economic and emotional harm due to inadequate safeguards.
The PIL drew attention to global regulatory efforts, such as the European Union's AI Act and voluntary safeguards in the United States. In India, existing laws are deemed inadequate for addressing deepfake manifestations, and concerns persist about the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, of 2023.
The PIL lists websites offering deepfake services, emphasizing the need for identification and regulation by relevant authorities.
The plea urged the court's intervention through a writ of Mandamus to address issues like identification and blocking of deepfake-related websites, dynamic injunctions, guidelines for AI enforcement, and fair implementation of AI in society.
It emphasized the vacuum in legislation and the need for the court's intervention to protect fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
The petitioner requested the Court to issue a writ of Mandamus, directing the respondent to identify and block websites providing access to deepfake AI, issue dynamic injunctions, lay down guidelines for AI regulation, ensure fair implementation of AI, and issue guidelines for AI and deepfake access in strict accordance with Fundamental Rights.
