The updated rules, issued by the Ministry of Information Technology, will come into effect on February 20 and shrink the window for removing content that violates local laws from the previous 36-hour window.

India has more than a billion internet users, and AI generated misinformation is becoming widespread in the world's most populous country.

The announcement comes as New Delhi is preparing to host a major global AI summit next week, which will be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and a host of other world leaders.

The latest rules apply to content "created, generated, modified or altered through any computer resource" unless the information is generated in "routine or good-faith editing".

The rules, first issued in 2021, were amended to require online platforms like X, Instagram and Facebook to clearly label synthetic data or media manipulated by AI with permanent markings that cannot be suppressed or removed.

The updated regulations define synthetic data as information "that appears to be real...or is likely to be perceived as indistinguishable from a natural person or real-world event."

They also require online platforms to deploy automated tools to prevent the dissemination of illegal content, including false documents and sexually abusive material.

Last year, the government launched an online portal called Sahyog -- meaning "cooperate" in Hindi -- aimed at automating the process of sending government notices to social media platforms such as X and Facebook.

Top AI and digital leaders like Microsoft and Google, looking to court users in the world's fifth-largest economy, have announced major investments in India in recent months.