New Delhi, Aug. 31 -- What if an artificial intelligence (AI) tool provides materially wrong or misleading information that causes a user financial loss? Or a chatbot encourages or facilitates self-harm, potentially causing serious harm to a user?

In both cases, the user may have reason to question the service's safety or quality. But not if the AI tool is offered entirely free of charge. This is where India's consumer-protection laws could present a legal gap.

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, India's key consumer-protection law, which provides remedies for defective goods and deficient services, was not drafted specifically with AI in mind. Its definition of "service" excludes services rendered entirely free of charge.

"A person pay...