The AI industry is witnessing a significant revolution in India as global tech companies and local start-ups are adapting chatbots and AI platforms to the country’s diverse range of languages and industries. India’s 22 official languages, along with numerous dialects spoken by its 1.4 billion people, present a unique challenge and opportunity for AI developers. Companies like Microsoft, Google, Sarvam AI, and Krutrim are at the forefront of this transformation, aiming to cater to the fast-growing Indian industries such as customer service and call centers.
Google recently launched its Gemini AI assistant in nine Indian languages, while Microsoft’s Copilot AI is available in 12 Indian languages with ongoing projects in Bengaluru’s research center to develop smaller language models tailored for Indian users that can run on smartphones. Such adaptations are crucial in a country like India with varying levels of connectivity.
Microsoft’s partnership with Sarvam AI, an Indian start-up focused on generative AI tools, highlights the importance of local collaboration. With governments pushing for “sovereign AI” trained and stored within national borders, investments in local AI companies are becoming more critical.
Companies like Sarvam AI are not building large language models from scratch but instead focusing on adapting existing models for Indian languages and utilizing voice data for communication, reflecting the communication preferences in India.
The AI race in India aims at adapting technology for the Indian context, and then expanding it globally. Tanuja Ganu, a manager at Microsoft Research, emphasized the benefits of using India as a test bed for new technologies that can subsequently be exported to other parts of the world.
The integration of AI in Indian businesses, especially in sectors like news organizations and broadcasting, is also evident. Newsrooms across Asia and Europe, including All India Radio and TRT World, are leveraging AI tools for transcription, voice and image recognition, language translation, data analysis, and more. AI avatars like AI Krish and AI Bhoomi are now presenting news stories on television channels.
The use of AI extends to enhancing audience interaction through chatbots, detecting fake content, and improving workflows and efficiency in news production. With AI rapidly transforming the media landscape, transparency in AI usage and responsible deployment of AI-generated content are critical for maintaining the authenticity and credibility of news products. Overall, the AI revolution in India is unlocking new markets and opportunities by bridging the gap between technology and diverse linguistic and cultural landscapes.
