Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has urged the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to partner with startups, industries, and academia to address the growing threat of AI-driven crimes. Speaking at the 21st D P Kohli Memorial Lecture on the 62nd foundation day of the CBI, Vaishnaw highlighted the ethical and legal challenges posed by artificial intelligence in criminal investigations.
“The world has changed. An AI agent can now commit a crime, raising a key ethical question—who should be held responsible? Can an AI agent be arrested, or should the company that created it be liable?” he asked.
The minister stressed that traditional laws alone will not be enough to combat AI-led crimes, calling for a techno-legal approach that blends legal frameworks with technological solutions. He noted that the government has already partnered with academia to develop tools for AI-related challenges, citing an IIT Jodhpur tool designed to detect deepfakes.
India currently lacks dedicated AI laws, but the government is working on guidelines and frameworks to regulate AI-related crimes. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also invited proposals from startups to build AI-powered deepfake detection tools.
A recent India Cyber Threat Report 2025 by the Data Security Council warns that AI-driven cyberattacks will become more sophisticated and adaptive, posing significant threats to healthcare, banking, and government sectors.