India prioritises innovation over regulation in framing technology policies, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday, September 15.

Speaking at the launch of a Niti Aayog report highlighting AI’s potential to add $1-1.4 trillion to India’s GDP by 2035, he noted the approach differs from Europe, where regulatory frameworks often precede innovation, reported The Economic Times. 

“When there is a trade-off between regulation and innovation, we tend to tilt more towards innovation. That's very different from, say, Europe,” Vaishnaw said, explaining that India evolves its regulatory structure as technology develops.

AI safety and national tech initiatives

On AI safety, Vaishnaw highlighted a techno-legal approach through the India AI Safety Institute, a virtual network where institutes tackle specific challenges like detecting deep fakes with high accuracy. 

He called for Niti Aayog to connect districts to national common compute facilities to foster AI-led solutions. Under the IndiaAI Mission, the government has secured 38,000 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), nearly four times the original target of 10,000.

He stressed the importance of mastering technologies such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, biotechnology, and quantum computing. Notably, 20 semiconductor chips designed by students at IITs have been manufactured at the Semiconductor Laboratory in Mohali, with 15 more set to be taped out.

AI Impact Summit 2026

The report will inform India’s position ahead of the AI Impact Summit in February 2026, chaired by the Prime Minister. The summit will focus on AI’s role in people, planet, and progress, with five regional events, 200 pre-summit events, and a national AI expo featuring 400 startup pods across 50 cities.