India is open to sharing its artificial intelligence models with the Global South, said S Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). This decision follows discussions with UN officials who expressed interest in India's collaborative approach to AI development. Krishnan emphasized India's linguistic diversity as a key advantage in natural language processing (NLP) development, stating, "If you can do it in India, you can do it practically anywhere else in the world".
The India AI Mission, with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore, supports startups like Sarvam AI, Soket AI, and Gnani AI in developing indigenous large language models (LLMs). Additionally, initiatives like AI Kosh, a data repository containing over 400 databases, aid researchers and entrepreneurs in building multilingual AI solutions. Mission Bhashini and Anuvadini focus on capturing regional dialects and advancing human language technology.
Krishnan also highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in driving AI innovation, encouraging participation from academia, industry, and research institutions. Google has reportedly requested access to historical data from institutions like Prasar Bharathi and All India Radio, and has also asked for a redefinition of "Make in India" to emphasize domestic innovation. The government is working to foster better collaboration among research entities to promote AI development in the country.
