LIJDLR

REGULATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DEEPFAKES IN INDIA: A LEGAL ANALYSIS OF PRIVACY, PLATFORM LIABILITY, CYBERCRIME, AND CONSTITUTIONAL FREE SPEECH

Ishani Chhaudha, Asian Law College, Ccs University (India)

Artificial intelligence has evolved from a computational tool into a powerful medium of expression shaping identity, political communication, advertising, and social interaction. Deepfakes, synthetic audio, face swaps, voice cloning, and other forms of generative media create legal harms that intersect with privacy, defamation, fraud, cybercrime, intermediary liability, electoral integrity, and constitutional free speech. This article examines how the existing Indian legal framework including the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and constitutional jurisprudence under Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India and Shreya Singhal v. Union of India can be interpreted to regulate harmful synthetic media. Using a doctrinal and analytical methodology, the article distinguishes between legitimate uses of artificial intelligence in satire, education, accessibility, and artistic expression, and malicious deepfakes that infringe dignity, facilitate impersonation, mislead voters, enable cyber fraud, or threaten public safety. It argues that India should adopt a rights-based regulatory framework grounded in informed consent, data protection, platform due diligence, forensic evidence preservation, proportionate labelling, effective grievance redressal, victim remedies, and court-reviewable takedown mechanisms. The article concludes that artificial intelligence and deepfakes can be effectively regulated within India’s existing constitutional and statutory framework without undermining freedom of speech and democratic values.

📄 Type 🔍 Information
Research Paper LawFoyer International Journal of Doctrinal Legal Research (LIJDLR), Volume 4, Issue 2, Page 392–421.
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