The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has dismissed a media report claiming that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) instructed government ministries to refrain from deploying cybersecurity models developed by OpenAI and Anthropic.

In a fact check shared on X, the government clarified that no such advisory or direction has been issued, calling the claim “fake.”

PIB says no such advisory was issued

Responding to the report, PIB Fact Check directly rejected the claim and stated that the information being circulated was incorrect.

Also Read | Cristiano Ronaldo in Argentina jersey sparks debate: Here is the real story

“A news report published by @ThePrintIndia claims that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed ministries to hold off on deploying OpenAI and Anthropic cybersecurity models,” the post said.

Rejecting the report, PIB Fact Check added, “This claim is fake.”

It further clarified, “MeitY has not issued any such direction or advisory prohibiting Ministries from using OpenAI or Anthropic.”

PIB also urged people to depend only on official government websites and verified sources for authentic information. It appealed to users to report suspicious or misleading content to PIB Fact Check to help prevent the spread of misinformation.

What ThePrint report claimed

The clarification came after a report by ThePrint claimed that a department under MeitY had asked government ministries not to deploy cybersecurity models developed by OpenAI and Anthropic for the time being.

ThePrint's report claimed MeitY had asked ministries to hold off on OpenAI and Anthropic AI models.
ZOOM IMAGE
ThePrint’s report claimed MeitY had asked ministries to hold off on OpenAI and Anthropic AI models.

According to the report, an office memorandum was circulated advising ministries against introducing the AI models prematurely. The report said the move followed meetings between representatives of OpenAI and Anthropic and officials from multiple ministries, where the companies reportedly showcased their AI tools. However, it noted that it could not independently verify how many ministries were approached or the level of the discussions.

Finance Ministry proposal and MeitY response

The report further claimed that the Ministry of Finance had sought permission to explore the use of agentic AI and OpenAI’s models, including GPT-5.5, for cybersecurity applications.

It said the ministry sent a six-page letter titled “In light of LLMs being used: AI-based vulnerability discovery, AI-assisted cybersecurity capabilities and implementation,” outlining potential use cases for AI in cybersecurity.

Also Read | Fact check: CA Final results day marred by breach rumours; ICAI says claims are ‘false, baseless, and mischievous’

According to ThePrint, the department responded with a “firm no” in a memorandum issued last week. However, the publication quoted a source as saying the response should not be interpreted as a permanent ban, but rather as a precaution against adopting the technology before it is considered ready for deployment.

The report also noted that OpenAI and Anthropic promote their advanced AI models for cybersecurity tasks such as detecting software vulnerabilities, reviewing code, assisting during security incidents and performing multi-step operations with limited human supervision. It added that these systems are regarded as dual-use technologies because they can potentially support both defensive and offensive cybersecurity operations.

FAQs:

Did MeitY ban ministries from using OpenAI and Anthropic AI models?

No, PIB has clarified that MeitY has not issued any advisory or direction prohibiting ministries from using OpenAI or Anthropic.

Why did PIB call the report on MeitY and OpenAI ‘fake’?

PIB said the report was false because MeitY had not issued any advisory asking government ministries to avoid OpenAI or Anthropic AI models.