In News:

The Government of India has announced that text-based Large Language Models (LLMs) under Bharat GenAI will be completed in all 22 Constitutionally recognised (Scheduled) Indian languages within this month, while speech and vision capabilities are already available in 15 Indian languages.

What is Bharat GenAI?

Bharat GenAI (BharatGen) is India’s first government-supported sovereign foundational Artificial Intelligence initiative, designed specifically for Indian languages, culture, and societal needs. It aims to build indigenous AI models rather than relying on foreign, linguistically homogeneous systems.

Key Objectives

• Develop sovereign AI capabilities for India
• Ensure linguistic inclusiveness and cultural authenticity
• Support domain-specific AI applications such as agriculture, Ayurveda, and legal systems
• Build a national AI research and innovation ecosystem

Core Components

Bharat GenAI has three principal AI components:

1. Text – Large Language Models (LLMs)
2. Speech – Text-to-Speech (TTS) and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)
3. Vision – Vision and vision-language models

Languages Covered (Present)

Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil and Telugu.

Institutional & Governance Framework

• Developed under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS)
• Implemented through the TIH Foundation for IoT and IoE at IIT Bombay
• Executed via a network of 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs)
• 4 TIHs upgraded to Technology Translational Research Parks (TTRPs) at:
  • IIT Indore
  • IIT Kanpur
  • IIT Dhanbad
  • IISc Bengaluru
• Consortium partners include IIT Hyderabad, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Mandi and IIT Indore

Four Pillars of Bharat GenAI

1. Technology Development
2. Entrepreneurship & Start-ups
3. Human Resource Development
4. International Collaboration

Key Features

• Multilingual and multimodal AI models
• Training on Bhartiya (India-specific) datasets
• Open-source orientation
• Emphasis on ethical, inclusive and indigenous AI

Compute & Funding Support

• Dedicated AI Compute Pillar under IndiaAI Mission
• Access to shared GPU resources at subsidised rates
• Encouragement of private sector participation
• Backed by ?1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) funding initiative

Significance for India

• Reduces dependence on foreign AI models
• Strengthens digital sovereignty
• Promotes inclusive AI access across regions
• Enables AI adoption in governance, judiciary, healthcare and agriculture

Why is it in the News?

Homegrown generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) platform Hanooman went live in 98 global languages, including 12 Indian languages recently.

What is the ‘Hanooman’ Platform?

• Hanooman is India's Gen AI platform, launched in 98 languages including 12 Indian languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, Assamese, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Sindhi.
• Abu Dhabi-based AI investment firm 3AI Holding Limited and SML India have built this indigenous platform.
• Named after the revered Hindu deity Hanuman, known for his unparalleled strength, wisdom, and devotion, Hanooman embodies the core principles of intelligence, agility, and resilience.
• The development of Hanooman was driven by a vision to create an AI platform that combines human-like intelligence with advanced machine-learning capabilities to tackle complex problems and drive innovation across diverse domains.

Key Features and Capabilities:

• Natural Language Understanding (NLU): Hanooman boasts advanced NLU capabilities that enable it to understand and interpret human language with remarkable accuracy.
  • Whether it's processing text, speech, or multimedia content, Hanooman can analyze and extract meaningful insights to facilitate intelligent decision-making.
• Contextual Awareness: Hanooman is equipped with contextual awareness technology that allows it to understand the context of a given situation and adapt its responses accordingly.
  • This enables Hanooman to provide personalized recommendations, anticipate user needs, and deliver tailored experiences across various applications and interfaces.
• Deep Learning and Neural Networks: Leveraging state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms and neural networks, Hanooman is capable of learning from vast amounts of data and continuously improving its performance over time.
  • This enables Hanooman to tackle complex problems, such as image recognition, natural language processing, and predictive analytics, with unparalleled accuracy and efficiency.
• Multi-Modal Learning: Hanooman supports multi-modal learning, allowing it to process and integrate information from multiple sources, including text, images, and audio.
  • This enables Hanooman to understand and analyze complex data sets more comprehensively, leading to more informed decision-making and actionable insights.

Applications and Uses:

• Healthcare: Hanooman can be used to analyze medical imaging data, diagnose diseases, and develop personalized treatment plans based on individual patient profiles.
• Finance: It can analyze market trends, predict financial risks, and optimize investment strategies to maximize returns and minimize losses.
• Manufacturing: It can optimize production processes, detect anomalies in manufacturing equipment, and improve quality control measures to enhance operational efficiency and reduce downtime.
• Retail: It can analyze customer data, personalize marketing campaigns, and optimize inventory management to drive sales and increase customer satisfaction.