The government is strategizing its approach to artificial intelligence (AI) by crafting a unique foundational model tailored to suit the specific needs of Indian entities, including businesses, innovators, educators, and scholars. This ambitious endeavor is set to kick off with an initial investment of US$ 240.2 million (Rs. 2,000 crore) post the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It aims to position India among the ranks of countries like China and the US, which have already initiated similar ventures. Spearheading this initiative is the IndiaAI Innovation Centre, established as part of the US$ 1.20 billion (Rs. 10,000 crore) IndiaAI Mission.
According to a high-ranking official, the government is likely to collaborate with prestigious universities and notable AI experts from the private sector to develop this foundational model. The envisioned model, whether a large action model (LAM) or a large multimodal model (LMM), seeks to generate outputs suitable for diverse applications and services. Foundational models, which serve as pre-trained generative transformers, form the basis for creating other AI models that generate new responses based on user inputs using existing data. Emphasizing India’s specific needs and preferences, the official highlighted the foundational model’s objective to deliver outputs in multiple native languages, drawing on previous efforts such as the Bhashini project.
