Labelling AI-Generated Content is Essential for Ensuring Digital Authenticity, Experts Say

The Indian government has proposed changes to the IT rules, aiming to mandate clear labelling of AI-generated content. This move seeks to enhance accountability for major platforms like Facebook and YouTube in identifying and flagging synthetic information. The initiative targets reducing harm from deepfakes and misinformation, which can spread falsehoods, damage reputations, and influence elections.

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Mahesh Makhija, Partner and Technology Consulting Leader at EY India, emphasised the importance of these amendments. He stated that labelling AI-generated material and embedding non-removable identifiers will help users distinguish real content from synthetic. This serves as a foundation for responsible AI adoption, giving businesses confidence to innovate responsibly.

Ensuring Authenticity with New IT Rules

The proposed amendments provide a legal basis for labelling, traceability, and accountability concerning synthetically-generated information. The draft amendment requires labelling, visibility, and metadata embedding for such content to differentiate it from authentic media. Stakeholders have been invited to comment on these proposals by November 6, 2025.

Akshay Garkel from Grant Thornton Bharat supports the amendment, describing it as timely and necessary. He highlighted the increasing sophistication of deepfakes and expressed approval of the government's proactive approach in addressing this issue. "It's good to see the government and law enforcement taking the issue seriously and acting to curb this menace," Garkel said.

Addressing Deepfake Challenges

The IT ministry noted that deepfake audio, videos, and synthetic media have shown how generative AI can create convincing falsehoods. Such content can be weaponised to spread misinformation or commit fraud. The stricter rules would increase accountability for social media intermediaries with over 50 lakh registered users in verifying synthetic information through appropriate technical measures.

Makhija also suggested that establishing clear implementation standards and collaborative frameworks between government and industry is crucial. This would ensure that the rules are practical, scalable, and supportive of India's AI leadership ambitions. According to him, these measures mark a significant step toward ensuring authenticity in digital content.

The amendments aim to protect users by making it easier to identify synthetic content. By enforcing these rules, the government hopes to mitigate potential risks associated with deepfakes and misinformation on social platforms.

With inputs from PTI