Nasscom calls for practical implementation of AI governance
New Delhi, June 18
Industry body Nasscom and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights' B‑Tech Project urged that AI governance move from high‑level principles to practical, human‑rights‑based implementation, a statement said on Thursday.
Nasscom and OHCHR B-Tech Project convened the 'AI Governance Dialogue for Global Majority: India Consultation' here. The closed-door, high-level consultation brought together senior leaders from industry, startups, international institutions, embassies, government, academia and civil society.
Participants discussed how safety, human rights and responsible AI principles can be translated into real-world deployment decisions, the statement from Nasscom said.
"As AI adoption scales across sectors and regions, the next phase of governance must be rooted in practical implementation," Nasscom said.
"India and the broader Global Majority bring critical experience in deploying technology across diverse, complex and resource-constrained environments. These perspectives are essential to shaping AI governance frameworks that are not only globally aligned, but also workable on the ground," the industry body said.
As AI continues to reshape societies, OHCHR B-Tech Project, emphasised that its development and deployment must be grounded in human dignity and human rights.
"Moving from high-level principles to real-world implementation requires embedding human rights due diligence across the AI lifecycle, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights," it said.
The dialogue built on a Safe and Trusted AI event held during the AI Impact Summit in February 2026.
The event aimed to deepen regional perspectives from the global majority on responsible business conduct in the AI sector and generate practical, implementation-grounded inputs from emerging markets.
Participants discussed the gap between global responsible AI principles and ground realities in markets such as India and the broader Global South, where organisations often operate within diverse user contexts, infrastructure constraints, resource limitations and rapidly evolving deployment environments.
Participants also focused on operationalising safety and human-rights protections across the AI lifecycle. They discussed concrete human rights due diligence tools based on real life experience such as audits, benchmarking, impact assessments, and accessible grievance-redressal mechanisms.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While the intent is noble, I worry about over-regulation. India needs AI to solve problems in healthcare, education, and agriculture. We can't afford to slow down innovation with too many compliance burdens. There should be a balance between human rights and development.
Finally a conversation about AI governance that includes developing countries. For too long, the rules were made by Silicon Valley for Silicon Valley. India's experience with Aadhaar and digital public infrastructure can offer valuable lessons on scale and inclusion.
The gap between principles and practice is huge in India. Even basic data protection has been delayed for years. How can we expect proper human rights due diligence from startups that barely have resources to comply with current laws? Need simpler, scalable approaches.
Great initiative! The mention of grievance-redressal mechanisms is crucial. In India, people affected by AI decisions (like loan rejections or hiring algorithms) often have no means to appeal. We need transparency and accountability built into the system, not just voluntary guidelines.
Interesting to see the UN get involved. But I wonder how much of this will actually trickle down. Most Indian startups are focused on rapid growth and profitability. If compliance becomes too costly, they'll just ignore it. The conversation needs to involve more local voices.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.