At the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held in New Delhi on February 17, Union IT and Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government believes news publishers and content creators must receive fair remuneration when their work is used to train artificial intelligence (AI) models or generate automated summaries.
Addressing reporters and industry stakeholders, he stressed that public policy should be oriented towards equitable revenue sharing and copyright safeguards. The remarks come amid global legal disputes between publishers and AI firms over alleged unauthorised use of journalistic content, while countries such as Australia and Canada have enacted laws mandating negotiations between tech platforms and news organisations.
Industry representatives at the summit echoed concerns that AI-driven summaries are reducing website traffic and weakening the financial foundations of independent journalism. The government, Vaishnaw added, is in dialogue with major digital platforms, which have shown willingness to explore structured compensation frameworks.
Government Signals Strong Policy Intent On Fair Compensation
Speaking at the summit hosted at Bharat Mandapam, Vaishnaw acknowledged that copyright in the age of AI is complex, particularly because many AI systems are trained on material available in the public domain. However, he maintained that complexity cannot justify bypassing the rights of content creators. “We believe that content creators, especially news creators, must get fair remuneration for the content they are creating,” he said, underlining that journalism involves investment, editorial rigour and accountability.
The minister emphasised that the government sincerely believes public policy must reflect this principle of fairness. According to him, discussions are underway with major technology platforms to develop processes that ensure revenue sharing when journalistic content is utilised by AI systems. While he did not outline specific legislative measures, his comments suggested that India is closely studying international models where negotiation frameworks have been institutionalised.
The debate gained further momentum during a panel organised by the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) on “AI and Media: Opportunities, Responsible Pathways, and the Road Ahead.” Industry leaders argued that journalism is not merely data floating freely on the internet but intellectual property created through professional labour and financial risk.
Representatives highlighted that AI-generated overviews and chatbot summaries increasingly provide users with quick answers, often reducing the need to click through to original news sources. This diversion of traffic, they said, directly impacts advertising revenue and subscription growth, threatening the sustainability of credible reporting.
International voices echoed these concerns. A representative from the International News Media Association (INMA) cautioned that if journalism underpins the factual accuracy of AI systems, then there must be recognition and remuneration for the value it contributes. The warning reflects a broader anxiety within the global news industry about how AI is reshaping content discovery and monetisation models.
Global Legal Battles And Emerging Regulatory Models
Vaishnaw’s remarks come at a time when the relationship between AI companies and publishers is under intense scrutiny worldwide. In the United States and parts of Europe, several major media organisations have initiated lawsuits against AI developers, alleging that copyrighted articles were used to train large language models without permission. These legal battles centre on whether scraping publicly accessible news content constitutes fair use or copyright infringement.
At the same time, some technology firms have chosen negotiation over confrontation. Companies such as OpenAI have entered into licensing agreements with select publishers, allowing them to legally use archival content while providing compensation and attribution. These deals are often cited as potential templates for cooperation rather than litigation.
Meanwhile, legislative precedents are emerging. Australia introduced a News Media Bargaining Code that compels digital platforms to negotiate payments with news publishers, and Canada passed similar legislation requiring tech giants to strike revenue-sharing agreements. These frameworks have not been without friction, but they have signalled that governments are willing to intervene when market dynamics disadvantage media organisations.
India’s approach appears to be evolving within this broader global context. By initiating dialogue rather than immediately proposing strict regulation, the government seems to be exploring a middle path that balances innovation with fairness. Officials at the summit also discussed concerns about deepfakes, misinformation and synthetic media, underscoring the need for responsible AI governance that protects public trust.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence presents both extraordinary opportunities and profound ethical dilemmas. While AI tools can enhance access to information and empower innovation, they also rely heavily on the labour of journalists, editors and media workers whose efforts ensure accuracy, accountability and public trust. If AI systems draw from this reservoir of credible reporting without acknowledging or compensating its creators, the long-term sustainability of independent journalism could be at risk.
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