The IndiaAI Safety Institute (IAISI) is a government-backed initiative incubated under India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as part of the IndiaAI Mission. Announced on January 30, 2025, and formally launched by Prime Minister Modi on February 17, 2026, the institute operates as a national hub for indigenous, science-based AI safety research and governance. It follows a hub-and-spoke model, partnering with academic institutions like IITs, startups, industry leaders, and government agencies to develop India-specific AI safety tools, benchmarks, frameworks, and standards. The institute sits under the Safe and Trusted AI pillar of the IndiaAI Mission and has an initial budget of Rs 20.46 crore allocated to that pillar.
The IndiaAI Safety Institute (IAISI) is a government-backed initiative incubated under India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as part of the IndiaAI Mission. Announced on January 30, 2025, and formally launched by Prime Minister Modi on February 17, 2026, the institute operates as a national hub for indigenous, science-based AI safety research and governance. It follows a hub-and-spoke model, partnering with academic institutions like IITs, startups, industry leaders, and government agencies to develop India-specific AI safety tools, benchmarks, frameworks, and standards. The institute sits under the Safe and Trusted AI pillar of the IndiaAI Mission and has an initial budget of Rs 20.46 crore allocated to that pillar.
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Theory of Change
The IAISI believes that safe AI deployment requires indigenous, context-specific tools and governance frameworks rather than wholesale adoption of Western models. By building India-specific safety benchmarks, risk assessment frameworks, and technical tools through a distributed network of academic and research institutions, the institute aims to embed safety-by-design into India's AI ecosystem. Domestically, this reduces harms from bias, misinformation, and misuse of AI targeting vulnerable populations. Internationally, by demonstrating a Global South approach to AI safety governance, India seeks to shift global norms toward more inclusive, human-centric AI standards — reducing the risk that advanced AI systems are deployed at scale without adequate safeguards in the world's most populous regions.
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Details
- Last Updated
- Apr 7, 2026, 8:29 PM UTC
- Created
- Apr 7, 2026, 6:28 PM UTC