New Delhi, Nov. 6 -- India's government has put together governance guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI), a "framework to ensure safe, inclusive and responsible AI adoption across sectors." Its guiding principle, as stated at the unveiling event, echoes the Hippocratic oath of medicine: Do no harm.

While its details will need to be pored over, its outline is reassuring. It lays out a set of ethical principles, while offering cues for AI governance, an action plan, and some notes for industry, developers and regulators aimed at transparency and accountability in the use of AI.

Notably, the ministry highlighted its effort to balance safety norms with space for AI innovation. Among other things, the framework calls for AI to empower...