New Delhi: A leading global software industry coalition representing tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), IBM, Adobe, Salesforce, and SAP has urged the Indian government to amend its copyright laws to allow “text and data mining” for artificial intelligence (AI) training. The call was made by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) in its newly released report titled “Enterprise AI Adoption Agenda for India.”
The BSA has further appealed for the removal of cross-border data transfer restrictions and the expansion of access to non-sensitive, high-value government datasets, arguing that such measures are essential for boosting India’s AI ecosystem. The organization emphasized that India’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, should explicitly support the use of personal data for AI model development and training.
Although publicly available personal data is technically excluded from India’s data protection regulations, industry experts have long cautioned that vague legal language could lead to compliance challenges. Many within the technology sector have, therefore, advocated revising the DPDP framework to allow unconditional processing of publicly available data for training and refining AI systems.
The IT Ministry has already introduced draft rules to operationalize the DPDP Act earlier this year, but the final version is still pending notification. Meanwhile, the BSA’s policy document also highlights the need for standardized content authentication and provenance mechanisms a measure intended to build public trust and ensure transparency in the creation of AI-generated content.
The report was unveiled on Thursday, November 6, during an AI pre-summit forum in New Delhi one of nearly 800 preparatory events leading up to the India AI Impact Summit, slated for February 2026. The summit, which will be the first large-scale AI conference hosted in the Global South, follows previous editions held in Bletchley Park, Seoul, and Paris.
Speaking at the event, Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), highlighted the government’s focus on using AI to augment human capabilities rather than replace them. He noted that while the rise of AI-powered coding tools could disrupt certain jobs, the goal should be to equip professionals with the skills necessary to thrive in an AI-driven economy.
“When AI tools become more efficient, we also run the risk of some people being adversely impacted,” Singh said. “The key challenge is ensuring that those affected are reskilled to seize new opportunities emerging in areas such as agentic and physical AI. This requires strong collaboration between industry and government.”
Singh also called for broad international participation at the upcoming India AI Impact Summit, encouraging global CEOs and technology leaders to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roundtable discussions.
The BSA’s recommendations are expected to guide policymakers in designing frameworks that enable faster and safer AI adoption across industries. A recent report from NITI Aayog projected that widespread AI integration could add between $500–600 billion to India’s GDP by 2035, while dramatically enhancing productivity and operational efficiency across sectors.
Commenting on the report, BSA President and CEO Victoria Espinel said the alliance’s proposals reflect “real-world feedback from industry leaders” on both the immense opportunities and the pressing challenges facing India’s AI journey.
Among its key suggestions, the BSA proposed the creation of AI innovation hubs in collaboration with global enterprises to strengthen talent pipelines and accelerate adoption of intelligent technologies. It also recommended expanding the IndiaAI FutureSkills program, developing sector-specific AI training modules, and scaling national AI academies at premier institutions like IITs and NITs. The alliance further advocated for building a national AI curriculum through a joint effort between the government, academia, and industry stakeholders.
If implemented, these measures could establish India as a leading global hub for enterprise-grade AI innovation balancing data privacy, intellectual property, and technological progress in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies.