Safe, trusted AI: Towards responsible AI innovation highlights need for accountability from AI
New Delhi, February 17
The session 'Safe and Trusted AI: Towards Responsible AI Innovation' was held as part of the Main-Summit: India AI Impact Summit 2026 on Tuesday in Delhi.
The discussion highlighted the need to ensure trust, safety, and accountability as AI becomes central to India's economic and social transformation. The speakers highlighted the importance of strong AI governance, ethical deployment, data protection, cybersecurity, and risk mitigation frameworks that balance innovation with responsibility.
The session was addressed by Sukhjit Singh, CTO & Technical Director, AT&T Global Network Services India, Shreya Suri, Partner, IndusLaw, Tamoghna Goswami, Head of Policy, ShareChat, Haridas, Founder & Director, DataVal Analytics.
The discussion was moderated by Shaveta Wadhera Jain, Managing Director, Accenture Consulting.
Another session 'Co-Creating the MedTech Frontier: Ecosystem Innovation toward AI Enabled Health for All' was held as part of the Main-Summit: India AI Impact Summit 2026.
The discussion focused on how AI-enabled MedTech is expanding access to care, enabling early and preventive health management, and improving healthcare efficiency and affordability. With India poised to become a major hub for AI-driven MedTech innovation, panelists emphasized the need for a supportive ecosystem to accelerate product development, market translation, and large-scale deployment.
Key themes included AI-ready data systems, digital health infrastructure, global scalability, and collaborative pathways under the MAHA MedTech Mission.
"India is taking steps to create an enabling innovation ecosystem - A key reform towards this is removal of the mandatory 3-year existence requirement for deep-tech startups to obtain R&D recognition by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) under its Industrial Research and Development Promotion Programme. Removing this 3-year blockage, makes it possible for innovators to apply for MedTech grants much earlier in their journey," T Thangaradjou, Scientist F, Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) said during the session.
"The Government is conscious of the need to balance both innovation and validation. CDSCO is developing new guidelines on AI in healthcare, while ICMR is revising its frameworks to support both innovation and rigorous validation," Taruna Madan Gupta, Scientist G & Head-Development Research Division, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said during the session.
Gupta added, "This regulatory effort is being complemented by investments in 84 new clinical trial sites, over 30 Centres for Advanced Research for innovation evaluation, and IITs as Centres of Excellence to support AI-based technologies." (ANI
— ANI
Reader Comments
The MedTech part is most exciting! AI can revolutionize healthcare in tier 2 and 3 cities where specialist doctors are scarce. Early detection and preventive care through AI could be a game-changer for a country like ours. 🇮🇳
Removing the 3-year rule for deep-tech startups is a fantastic move! It was a major bottleneck. Young innovators with great ideas can now get support faster. This is how you foster a true startup ecosystem.
While the intent is good, I hope the "responsible AI" talk translates to real action. We've seen tech move faster than regulation before. Data privacy for Indians is non-negotiable. The frameworks need to be watertight and strictly enforced.
Investing in 84 new clinical trial sites and CoEs at IITs is the kind of infrastructure push we need. Innovation needs a strong foundation. Balancing speed with validation, as ICMR said, is the key. Jai Vigyan!
Interesting to see India's approach. The focus on both governance for general AI and specific sectoral applications like MedTech shows strategic thinking. The global AI race needs more of this responsible innovation focus.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.