The recently enacted Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) marks a pivotal moment in India's journey to safeguard the privacy rights of ~1.5 billion citizens, especially their use of novel artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
This talk explores the evolving nature of human-AI interactions, including the role of chatbots, virtual assistants, and recommendation systems in our daily lives. A detailed analysis of the DPDP Act in light of this dynamic relationship suggests that India's data protection regime fails to provide individuals with adequate control and autonomy over their data. At the same time, businesses seeking to leverage advancements in AI may face operational challenges.

The talk concludes with an examination of whether India needs a dedicated law on AI to address broader issues encompassing data governance, platform classification, algorithmic fairness, risk mitigation strategies, transparency, and accountability.