No immediate AI news anchor policy as broadcasting AI remains nascent: MIB

The government has reiterated its push to position India as a global hub for animation, gaming and digital content creation, outlining fresh progress on the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT), a nationwide AI skilling programme and the broader WAVES ecosystem, while making it clear that regulations around AI-generated news anchors are not on the immediate policy agenda.

In its Action Taken Report tabled in Parliament, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) said AI adoption in broadcasting remains "at a very nascent stage" and that policy interventions on AI-generated news anchors and ethical guidelines would be considered only "as and when it becomes evident."

The response comes even as the ministry accelerates investments in the AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality) ecosystem, which it has identified as a key pillar of India's emerging "Orange Economy."

IICT moves closer to permanent campus

The ministry said the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT), incorporated as a Section 8 company following the recommendations of the AVGC Promotion Task Force, has been operating from its interim campus at the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) in Mumbai since July 2025.

The institute currently offers more than 18 specialised courses, has enrolled over 100 students in its inaugural batch and is pursuing Deemed University status.

Construction of its permanent 10-acre campus at Film City in Goregaon has also advanced, with land already allotted by the Maharashtra government and 23 of the 25 statutory approvals secured. The final clearance from the National Board for Wildlife is still awaited before construction can begin.

National AI skilling programme underway

As part of its talent development strategy, the ministry said it launched the National AI Skilling Initiative in partnership with YouTube on March 23, 2026.

The programme aims to train 15,000 participants through a two-phase model, beginning with an online foundational course and followed by advanced hybrid training later this year.

The initiative complements the government's larger plan to establish 15,000 AVGC content creation labs in schools and 500 colleges across the country.

According to the report, consultations have already been held with IICT, the Ministry of Education, NITI Aayog and industry stakeholders to design pilot Content Creation Labs before scaling the programme nationally.

WAVES ecosystem gathers momentum

The report also details significant progress under the government's WAVES initiative, designed to build India's creator economy infrastructure.

According to the ministry, WAVES Bazaar has onboarded more than 6,000 sellers and over 5,000 international buyers, facilitating over 9,000 business meetings. WaveX, the startup accelerator under the initiative, has attracted more than 120 applications, with over 30 startups currently under incubation.

Separately, under the Kalaa Setu and Bhasha Setu initiatives, 10 startups have been selected to pilot AI-powered services including regional language translation, subtitle generation, voice-overs and audio dubbing for government media organisations including PIB, CBC, Doordarshan, Akashvani and the New Media Wing.

AI regulation remains a work in progress

While the government is expanding AI adoption across media production, localisation and content creation, it has refrained from laying out any timeline for regulating AI-generated news content.

The ministry's response suggests it does not yet view AI-generated news anchors as widespread enough to warrant a dedicated regulatory framework, indicating that policy decisions will be taken only after the technology matures further.

The cautious stance contrasts with the government's aggressive investments in AI-driven skilling and creator tools, highlighting its preference to encourage innovation before introducing sector-specific regulation.

Community radio expansion continues despite modest annual allocation

The report also outlines progress under the Supporting Community Radio Movement in India scheme, which has been extended until 2030-31 with a proposed outlay of Rs 50 crore.

The ministry said 560 Community Radio Stations (CRS) are operational across the country, with the scheme continuing to focus on expanding coverage in "CR dark areas" and ensuring at least one station in every district.

Around 70 grant applications are expected to be processed during FY27, while regional training mechanisms, awareness workshops, community radio conferences and capacity-building programmes are planned to improve adoption and operational efficiency.

However, the scheme continues to face utilisation challenges. It received only Rs 8 crore in the FY27 Budget Estimates, compared with Rs 17.4 crore allocated in the previous year's Budget Estimates. Revised allocations for FY26 had also been reduced to Rs 8 crore, of which only 56.5% had been utilised by January 2026.