India has asked technology companies to obtain approval before public release of “untrusted” or experimental AI tools, noting that they should also be labeled for potentially incorrectly answering user queries, according to Reuters.
The use of such tools, including generative artificial intelligence, and "making them available to users on the Indian internet should be done with the express permission of the government of India," the country's Ministry of Information Technology said in an advisory report issued last Friday for the platforms.
Countries around the world are racing to establish rules to regulate artificial intelligence, and India is working to tighten regulations for social media companies, of which the South Asian country is considered one of its largest growing markets.
The warning came a week after a senior minister on February 23 criticized Google's Gemini AI tool after it submitted a response identifying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accusing him of implementing policies described as "fascist."
A day later, Google said it worked quickly to address the issue and that the tool "may not always be reliable," especially regarding current events and political topics.
“Safety and trust are a legal obligation for platforms,” Deputy IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on social media platform
India on Friday also asked platforms to ensure that their artificial intelligence tools do not "threaten the integrity of the electoral process." General elections are scheduled to be held in India next summer, and the ruling Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, is expected to obtain a clear majority.