India Urged to Establish Agentic AI Laws to Safeguard Sovereignty

India's push for dedicated agentic AI laws could establish a critical benchmark for the Global South, moving beyond voluntary guidelines. Pavan Duggal's call for specific legislation reflects a growing concern that AI, particularly AGI and superintelligence, poses direct threats to national sovereignty and human rights. This initiative would differentiate India from countries like Singapore, which has only issued voluntary guidelines on agentic AI earlier this year. The urgency stems from forecasts that AGI could arrive by early next year, with superintelligence following shortly after. India's legal framework would aim to provide accountability against AI, a concept Duggal believes is as fundamental as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The challenge for India will be to draft comprehensive laws that can keep pace with rapid AI advancements while balancing innovation and security. Our view is that if India successfully implements these laws, it could influence how other developing nations approach AI governance, creating a more standardized regulatory environment across the region. The focus on legally binding frameworks, rather than recommendations, points to a more proactive and potentially more effective approach to managing AI's societal impact.