The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have advocated for fair compensation for media houses, particularly in the face of challenges posed by digital platforms like Meta and Google. At the recently held Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025, on February 27, both ministries have also pushed for the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in media and technology sectors, as concerns around misinformation, deep fakes, and biased algorithms continue to emerge.
Present at the event were key policy makers including Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology; Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; MeitY Secretary S Krishnan and Additional Secretary Abhishek Singh; and Member of the European Parliament, Michael McNamara, among others.
Vaishnaw, in his inaugural speech, remarked that the government is fully prepared to provide ‘any necessary support’ needed for the media industry to smoothly transition from traditional to digital media.
“From the government’s side, we are fully prepared to provide any necessary support required during this transition. The entire nation views the media with great responsibility, and it is expected that valuable suggestions will come from Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025 on how this transition in the media industry can be together carried out smoothly, and without disruption,” the Minister said.
Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), representing India’s top news publishers from both print and electronic media, has been at the forefront of promoting credible journalism and fostering the growth of the news industry. As AI revolutionises industries and transforms traditional paradigms, the DNPA Conclave 2025 served as an essential forum for stakeholders to shape the future of digital media.
In his key address, Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of the MIB acknowledeged the growth of media and entertainment sector in India while addressing the pressing challenges it is faced with.
The Secretary noted that digital advertising, backed by AI and big data analytics, is reshaping marketing strategies and media houses but in this race to break news has led to misinformation.
“While technology is actually empowering the media, it has also introduced pressing challenges which needs to be addressed collectively. There is this whole problem of unchecked spread of misinformation and clickbait journalism, which is undermining our democratic values,” he highlighted.
Jaju further noted that there is also a stark imbalance in revenue sharing. Indian media houses produce content that drives engagement, yet there is a feeling that they receive very little in return.
“Without a fair compensation model, quality journalism definitely gets a huge risk and has also chances of getting compromised as well. AI driven recommendation engines have been often prioritising sensational content leading to the viral spread of misinformation.”
Recognising the need for stricter norms, the Secretary shared that the Ministry is closely monitoring global regulatory developments and is also looking at a range of regulatory reforms which will allow for modernisation, inclusivity and fair play in the industry.
Further, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan discussed the need of effective monitoring of AI regulation and how India’s stance on AI balances innovation with safeguards against potential harms.
According to him, MeitY too is closely studying regulations in other jurisdictions, including the European Union, to determine appropriate measures. India already has legal frameworks under the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) that address misrepresentation and misinformation.
“The advisory committee issued guidelines on March 15, 2024, addressing some concerns. If needed, the government may introduce stronger legislation, but this will be an extensive process involving stakeholder discussions. Our emphasis is on enabling AI-driven innovation while ensuring accountability through clear liability provisions.”
In India, there are around 4,500 licensed news channels and 1,460 registered publications, but platforms like YouTube host over 150 million channels. Monitoring this vast content landscape is challenging. For every violator caught, hundreds go unnoticed and reappear under new names. Making AI regulations truly effective is the need of the hour, the Ministry acknowledged.
Emphasising on fair compensation, Krishnan noted that beyond quality, fair compensation is essential for the effort that goes into curating content. This is not a negative stance; rather, it recognises the value of journalism and media. Certain partnerships—such as those in the UK—have reinforced this point, underscoring that content is both a subject matter and an industry requiring careful consideration.
Sharing more on India AI Mission and progress made so far, MeitY’s Additional Secretary, Abhishek Singh, said that the Ministry is working with various government departments, including Prasar Bharati, to share datasets to build its own large language models (LLMs) under India AI mission. He revealed that public, restricted and private data sets will be available under India AI datasets platform, version of which will be launched in the coming 10 days.
The Ministry recently has received 67 applications for developing AI foundational model and building 20 LLMs, under the government’s flagship Rs 10,370 crore India AI Mission, which will be assessed in a month’s time by top researchers from world over.
The conclave also saw the likes of Michael McNamara, Member of the European Parliament, one of the key members who made the EU’s AI Act a reality, talked about his experiences of shaping the landmark AI Act.
McNamara acknowledged that India, like Europe, is grappling with the challenge of balancing technological development with the protection of copyright holders and content creators’ income. He emphasised that there’s a general consensus against a scenario where creators—whether news journalists or artists—are deprived of revenue from their work due to its unauthorised use by others.
He highlighted the importance of human judgment in news sources, a trust built over decades, which risks being undermined by general-purpose AI.
Held on February 27, in New Delhi, this year’s Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave was themed around ‘Media Transformations in the AI Age’, and served as a pivotal gathering for policymakers, media leaders, and tech experts to examine the ongoing impact of AI.
The evening saw media fraternity also deliberating on the impact of AI on digital marketing decisions and ad spends; how AI can redefine reach, revenue and responsibility; ethical use of AI; the need for human intervention; and AI-powered fact checking in news.
Present at the event and among the panelists were Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Network India; Sai Narayan, CMO, Policybazaar; Rajiv Dubey, VP Marketing, Dabur; Amiya Swarup, Partner, Marketing Advisory, EY India; Puneet Jain, CEO, HT Digital; Sanjay Sindhwani, CEO, Indian Express Online Media; Vinod Thadani, Chief Digital Officer, Mindshare Worldwide; Sunny Sen, Co-Founder & CEO, Conscent.ai; Ranjana Mangla, Sr. VP & Head of Ad Revenue – Sony LIV; Hemant Jain, President & Head of Digital Business, Lokmat Media; Pratyush Ranjan, Head of Digital Services and Fact Checking, PTI; Apurva Chandra, Former Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; Jatin Gandhi, Executive Editor, Jagran New Media; and Akhil Kumar, Deputy Executive Editor, Multimedia, NDTV.