AI Content Labelling: Ensuring Authenticity

New Delhi, Oct 22 (PTI) The proposed amendments to the IT Rules that would mandate clear labelling of AI-generated content and place greater onus on large social media platforms are a clear step toward ensuring authenticity in digital content, Mahesh Makhija, Partner and Technology Consulting Leader at EY India, said on Wednesday.

Labelling AI generated material and embedding non-removable identifiers will help users distinguish real content from synthetic, serving as the foundation for responsible AI adoption.

"...these measures will give businesses the confidence to innovate and scale AI responsibly. The next step should be to establish clear implementation standards and collaborative frameworks between government and industry, to ensure the rules are practical, scalable, and supportive of India's AI leadership ambitions," Makhija added.

According to Makhija, the proposed rules mark a clear step toward ensuring authenticity in digital content.

Akshay Garkel, Partner, Grant Thornton Bharat, believes that the proposed amendment is a timely and necessary move, especially as deepfakes are getting worryingly convincing.

"It's good to see the government and law enforcement taking the issue seriously and acting to curb this menace," Garkel said.

The government on Wednesday proposed changes in IT rules that would mandate clear labelling of AI-generated content and place greater accountability on large platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and others in verifying and flagging synthetic information - a move aimed at curbing user harm from deepfakes and misinformation.

The IT ministry noted that deepfake audio, videos and synthetic media going viral on social platforms have demonstrated the potential of generative AI to create "convincing falsehoods", where such content can be "weaponised" to spread misinformation, damage reputations, manipulate or influence elections, or commit financial fraud.

The proposed amendments to IT rules provide a clear legal basis for labelling, traceability, and accountability related to synthetically-generated information.

Apart from clearly defining synthetically generated information, the draft amendment - on which comments from stakeholders have been sought by November 6, 2025 - mandates labelling, visibility, and metadata embedding for synthetically generated or modified information to distinguish such content from authentic media.

The stricter rules would increase accountability of significant social media intermediaries (those with 50 lakh or more registered users) in verifying and flagging synthetic information through reasonable and appropriate technical measures.