Desk: The Government of India is now preparing to promote the use of Artificial Intelligence models made in the country. Especially in important sectors like protection and aerospace, the use of Indian AI systems, Large Language Models and AI Agents can be increased. According to government officials, for this, some important departments of the central and state governments may also be asked to completely stop using advanced AI models and agents made by foreign companies.
The objective of this scheme is to give place to India's own AI models in important government works and reduce dependence on foreign tech companies. According to officials, some departments like Defense are already preparing their own secure AI systems. These systems will be air-gapped, that is, they can be worked by keeping them separate from the external network. Besides, it will be able to work on Edge also. Now such departments have been asked to consider ways to use the Indian AI models being created under the IndiaAI Mission.
The government had approved IndiaAI Mission in March 2024. A budget of Rs 10,372 crore has been kept for this. Under this mission, a plan to make a total of 20 AI models has been approved. These include Large Language Models for general tasks and Small Language Models being made keeping in mind the needs of different sectors.
The responsibility of preparing these models has been given to 12 startups. These also include the names of Sarvam and BharatGen, which have so far introduced many of their AI models. Apart from these, Soket's video making AI model Varya and foundation model EKA-1 have also been released. At the same time, ZenteiQ has introduced models named Dhir 2B and Dhir 5B.
Companies like Gnani, Gan AI, Fractal, Tech Mahindra and Shodh AI are also preparing Indian AI models under this mission. According to a government official, these companies can introduce their LLMs and SLMs in the next 12 to 15 months.
The government wants that India should have such capable AI models, which can be used in defense and other important areas. For this, the government is constantly in talks with these startups, so that their existing models can be further improved. According to the official, some domestic AI models developed in India have currently achieved about 80% of the capacity of the world's large and advanced AI models.
The objective of IndiaAI Mission is also to promote AI related technology and business in the country. Under this, work is being done on computing capacity, new AI models, data platforms, AI app development, skill training, funding to startups and secure AI systems. This entire mission will be taken forward with the partnership of government and private companies.