Government Reviews Copyright Act, 1957 in Light of Generative AI Use

The Central Government has informed the Lok Sabha that the Copyright Act, 1957 is currently being reviewed to address legal challenges arising from the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI).

In a written reply to a question raised by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada stated that the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has formed an eight-member expert committee to study the impact of generative AI on copyright law.

The committee has already completed Part 1 of its working paper, which focuses on the use of copyrighted content for training AI systems. This paper has been published by the government and opened for feedback from stakeholders.

The committee, constituted on April 28, 2025, has been tasked with examining whether the existing provisions of the Copyright Act are adequate to deal with new legal and policy issues created by AI technologies.

According to the government, key issues such as authorship, ownership, and copyrightability of AI-generated works are currently under detailed examination. These aspects are expected to be covered in Part 2 of the working paper, which is still under review and will be released as a white paper in due course.

The government further clarified that the committee’s role includes identifying legal gaps, analysing policy concerns, and recommending changes to the law wherever required, keeping in view the growing use of artificial intelligence.