New Delhi: The Union Minister for Electronics & IT, Railways, and Information & Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, marked a major milestone in India’s AI journey by launching key initiatives under the IndiaAI Mission during its anniversary celebration in New Delhi.
Among the significant launches were AIKosha: IndiaAI Datasets Platform and the IndiaAI Compute Portal, both aimed at bolstering AI research and development. AIKosha provides access to over 300 datasets and 80 AI models, ensuring ethically sourced data, while the Compute Portal offers subsidized AI compute services, starting with 10,000 GPUs, with more to be added.
Other initiatives include the AI Competency Framework for Public Sector Officials, the iGOT-AI Mission Karmayogi, and the IndiaAI Startups Global Acceleration Program with Station F in Paris, supporting skill development and startup growth. The IndiaAI Application Development Initiative has also shortlisted 30 AI solutions addressing key sectors like healthcare, governance, and climate change.
Vaishnaw reiterated the government’s commitment to democratizing AI access and fostering innovation, stating, “PM Modi’s vision for AI, semiconductors, and deep tech will propel India among the top 5 AI-driven nations.”
Significant Milestone for IndiaAI Mission
As the IndiaAI Mission took a significant step forward with the launch of multiple initiatives, S Krishnan, Secretary at MeitY and Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at MeitY and IndiaAI Mission CEO underscored the mission’s objectives and the transformative role of artificial intelligence in India’s digital future.
Abhishek Singh highlighted the importance of the launch, stating:
“Today’s launch is a testimony of the direction in regards to expediting implementation of programs under IndiaAI Mission, which was approved by the Cabinet on 7 March 2024.”
He emphasized the ecosystem’s critical role in enabling these initiatives, crediting NIC, the International Innovation Corps, and the Wadhwani Foundation for their support. “IndiaAI started as a small team. We got support from NIC, International Innovation Corps, Wadhwani Foundation and others—all came forward and provided resources. One very key component with all the launches will require a very strong partnership with all the Government of India departments and state governments.”
Singh also urged government departments to contribute datasets to AIKosh, the AI compute platform launched as a minimum viable product (MVP).
“The AIKosh launched today is the basic version with some core datasets that some departments have provided. But it will need to get datasets from all departments, so I urge all of them to join this initiative to build quality datasets to ensure our AI ecosystem can leverage them and build foundation models and applications that we can be proud of.”
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S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, emphasized the broader vision of the IndiaAI Mission, stating, “What we are trying to attempt under the IndiaAI Mission is to popularize artificial intelligence, speak to its adoption across various segments—not just the public sector, not just government, but also in the corporate world, in the social sector, and everywhere else.” He underscored AI’s potential as a cross-cutting technology capable of enhancing productivity and prosperity.
Krishnan also addressed the financial commitment under the mission, stating:
“Often, comparisons are made that in India’s case, we have set apart about Rs 10,370 crore to grow AI within the country. This is sometimes compared to the $500 billion investment announced in the US. If you look at that $500 billion, it’s by a set of private investors to be invested not just in the US but across the world over a number of years. Not one rupee or one dollar of that is from the government. Whereas here, we have a very focused and very clear program on how to actually implement artificial intelligence adoption across the country.”
A key component of the mission, he said, is the AI compute portal, which accounts for nearly 45 per cent of the allocated funds. “The launch of the AI compute portal is the largest component of the IndiaAI Mission, with almost 45 per cent of the funds dedicated to that area. Across the world, people are surprised and quite amazed at the innovative way in which this has been attempted. This is just the first step. We are now making available about 15,000 GPUs of capacity, but this will keep getting added through additional commitments from various private sector providers and possibly the government’s own managed service provision of GPUs.”
Krishnan further emphasized the significance of AIKosh in addressing AI model biases. “Through AIKosh, we want to ensure that this shortcoming is eliminated and that datasets are available for various model builders to work on and ensure the launch of many more India-specific models.”
The mission also focuses on AI application development. He said: “Out of 900 applications, about 30 were shortlisted. That is a very critical element of what we are attempting to do because applications are important for India in two ways. First, they deliver actual benefits, where the rubber meets the road. Second, India, with its large IT human resources, will likely provide AI talent for the rest of the world. That’s why encouraging applications is so important.”
Addressing the need for AI skilling, Krishnan highlighted the AI fellowship’s role in fostering talent. “The skilling vertical of AI is extremely important, and that is being encouraged today through the IndiaAI fellowship’s financial support for students.”
He also stressed a hybrid approach to AI development in India, balancing indigenous innovation with global collaboration.
“As a country, while we develop everything that we can in India, we need to have culture-specific models and deep foundational models based on the Indian experience. But we must also be open to what is coming in from elsewhere and adapt it to our needs instead of reinventing the wheel on each occasion. This is the hybrid approach we’ve taken throughout the IndiaAI Mission.”
In conclusion, Krishnan acknowledged the progress made over the past year while recognizing the challenges ahead. “Through the IndiaAI Mission, what has been achieved over the last year is significant, but what needs to be achieved is also considerable.”
The launches mark a crucial step in India’s AI journey, with MeitY positioning the mission as a game-changer in advancing AI capabilities, fostering innovation, and strengthening the nation’s digital infrastructure.
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