India, Nov. 7 -- The India AI Governance Guidelines report, drafted by a government-appointed committee, attempts to strike a balance between the potential and the pitfalls of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the Indian context, this is singularly important - given that unprecedented opportunities exist alongside the possibilities of significant harm and unforeseen risks. AI, done right, can drive growth and inclusion, but, done wrong, deliberately or otherwise, can deepen divisions and exacerbate inequality. Against this backdrop, the report advocates light-touch regulation to encourage innovation, while emphasising on final human oversight, to ensure that chances of harm are maximally mitigated. It calls for relying on existing legislation to address risks, amending these over the medium term to fill gaps and, enacting new laws if required over the long term. The report also calls for graded liability for AI systems where "responsibility is proportional to the function performed, the level of risk anticipated, and the degree to which due diligence is undertaken". While allowing innovation is the aim, whether such a system can be effective - especially with both Big Tech and boutique start-ups competing and collaborating in similar spaces of AI development and deployment - remains to be seen. In terms of accountability for unexpected outcomes that cause harm despite reasonable precautions, while the report upholds the prerogative of sectoral regulators on enforcement strategies, it does well to advise prevention and pre-emptive harm control. Given the runaway impact of AI harm - there are several examples of this from deepfakes to entrenched biases in AI-enabled policing - the need is to guard against this rather than to train for response. The institutional model the report proposes for AI governance - an overarching group with representation from key ministries and departments, along with several sectoral regulators - suggests a centralised approach. While a certain degree of uniformity in policy is perhaps desirable, given the inter-sectoral opportunities for AI development and deployment, the question is if this will impede AI innovation. It is too early to tell if a rapid paradigm shift in technology, and its governance, can be optimally managed so as to yield gains and curtail harm, but the report outlines a path in earnest....