India should amend its copyright framework to reflect the realities of the AI age, according to AAP MP Raghav Chadha, who argued that failing to permit fair use of training data could harm innovation and creativity.
Speaking on the sidelines of the IndiaAI Summit during a session titled ‘Power, Protection and Progress’, Chadha said he had raised the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha in the last Parliament session. The discussion focused on how content created by writers, artists and coders is increasingly being used for AI training.
India’s Copyright Act dates back to 1957, when the concept of fair use was defined. However, Chadha suggested that the law has not kept pace with technological advancements.
“While we need to respect the original creator, at the same time we must permit fair use and strike a balance. Otherwise you are curtailing innovation,” he said, adding that he hopes Parliament will consider amendments suited for the 21st century.
He indicated that an overly restrictive regime could stifle research, education and AI development. According to him, protecting creators and enabling innovation need not be mutually exclusive if the right balance is struck.
3 February 2026
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Chadha also advocated for broader access to large language models, suggesting that India should work toward making LLMs widely accessible so that startups, students and researchers can build without prohibitive costs. Democratising AI tools, he implied, would strengthen the innovation ecosystem.
Beyond copyright, Chadha underscored that the primary bottleneck in India’s AI ambitions is not funding or talent but access to GPUs and compute infrastructure. He recently highlighted this issue in Parliament, stressing that hardware availability is the real constraint.
“I didn’t raise the question around GPUs to sound technical. I raised it to sound practical,” he said, noting that countries with access to advanced GPUs will command greater economic capacity in the future.
He pointed out that companies such as Nvidia hold a first mover advantage in AI chip design, creating what he described as a design monopoly. At the manufacturing level, nearly 90 percent of advanced chips are produced in Taiwan, creating geographic concentration risk. Export controls imposed by countries like the United States further complicate procurement, meaning that even well funded nations may face restrictions.
India’s AI talent pool is expected to double by 2027 and is globally recognised. However, Chadha cautioned that talent without sovereign compute infrastructure would leave the country dependent on external powers.
“In the 20th century, power was controlled by those who had oil, gas and steel. In the 21st century, power will be controlled by those who have compute and manufacturing capabilities,” he said.
While the IndiaAI Summit has positioned India prominently in global AI discussions, Chadha suggested that meaningful copyright reform, open access to AI tools and investment in domestic compute infrastructure will determine whether the country can truly lead in the AI era.
