Govt to develop custom AI model for Indian use, Rs 2,000 crore allocated

The Indian government is gearing up to carve its own path in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) by initiating the development of a bespoke foundational model tailored to the needs of Indian stakeholders, including companies, entrepreneurs, academics, and researchers. With an initial investment of Rs 2,000 crore, slated for launch post the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections, this ambitious endeavor aims to position India alongside global AI leaders like China and the US. \r

Spearheaded by the IndiaAI Innovation Centre under the Rs 10,000 crore IndiaAI Mission, the initiative will likely involve collaboration with eminent higher education institutes and leading researchers in the private sector. Envisioned as either a large action model (LAM) or a large multimodal model (LMM), the foundational model intends to cater to diverse applications and services, while addressing India's specific linguistic and cultural requirements. Drawing inspiration from existing projects like Bhashini, the model will aim to provide outputs in multiple native languages. \r

However, challenges such as data privacy and copyright concerns need to be addressed, with proposals including the creation of a platform for Indian startups to volunteer anonymized data for model training. The success of the initiative hinges on a collaborative approach to data sharing and the development of specific use cases tailored to various government departments to enhance service delivery efficiency.