IndiaAI’s New AI Tools Fight Deepfakes and Boost Cybersecurity

In a decisive move to fortify India’s digital trust framework and tackle the escalating threat of deepfakes, IndiaAI has greenlit five pioneering research and innovation projects under its ‘Safe & Trusted AI’ initiative. These projects aim to redefine how India detects, audits, and safeguards against malicious AI-generated content.

The announcement marks a strategic milestone in the country’s mission to build a secure, ethical, and accountable AI ecosystem—one that can stand up to the challenges of synthetic media, bias in algorithms, and adversarial manipulation of generative models. IndiaAI, an independent division under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), serves as the nodal implementation body for the IndiaAI Mission, focusing on democratizing the benefits of artificial intelligence, promoting technological self-reliance, and ensuring that the nation’s AI ecosystem remains ethical, transparent, and globally competitive.

A Nationwide Call, Five Visionary Responses

Launched on December 10, 2024, the second round of IndiaAI’s Expression of Interest (EoI) attracted more than 400 proposals from across India’s vibrant AI landscape—spanning IITs, startups, research labs, and forensic institutions. Following an intensive multi-stakeholder review, five projects were selected for their technical innovation, scalability, and societal relevance.

Among them, deepfake detection emerged as a central theme—reflecting growing global concern over the misuse of AI to distort reality and spread misinformation.

Spotlight on India’s Deepfake Defense Arsenal

1. Saakshya – A collaborative effort by IIT Jodhpur and IIT Madras, Saakshya integrates multi-agent systems with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) technology. It’s designed to pinpoint manipulated images, videos, and audio in real time, providing actionable insights for law enforcement and media verification.

2. AI Vishleshak – Jointly developed by IIT Mandi and the Directorate of Forensic Services, Himachal Pradesh, this project focuses on explainable AI frameworks for detecting deepfakes and forged handwritten signatures. Its emphasis on adversarial robustness seeks to enhance the reliability of forensic AI tools.

3. Voice Deepfake Detection System – Crafted by IIT Kharagpur, this system targets AI-generated voice impersonations—an emerging vector in digital fraud and misinformation. The technology promises to bolster India’s forensic and cybersecurity capabilities through real-time voice authentication.

Beyond Detection: Building AI That’s Fair and Secure

Complementing these technical defenses are two forward-looking initiatives:

• Digital Futures Lab and Karya will jointly study gender bias in agricultural AI systems, ensuring inclusivity in AI models used across India’s farming sector.

• Anvil, developed by Globals ITES Pvt Ltd and IIIT Dharwad, introduces a penetration testing toolkit for generative AI, aimed at hardening models against adversarial exploits and data poisoning.

Strengthening Digital Trust, The IndiaAI Way

Collectively, these initiatives embody IndiaAI’s mission to translate ethical AI principles into operational frameworks—integrating forensic analysis, bias evaluation, and system resilience. The tools and technologies developed under this program are expected to find immediate application across law enforcement, media verification, cybersecurity, and digital governance.

“Deepfakes pose not just a technological challenge but a societal one. Through these initiatives, India is building the guardrails for an AI future that’s both innovative and responsible,” said a senior official associated with the IndiaAI Mission.

By bringing together academia, startups, industry, and government, IndiaAI continues to chart a course for India as a global hub for responsible AI innovation—a space where safety, inclusivity, and accountability underpin every algorithm.