It’s hard to miss the global headlines; but today, something caught my eye that hits closer to home: seven leading Indian organisations have joined the global AI Alliance. It’s not just about another tech update – it’s a significant stride for India’s burgeoning AI landscape.
With the Government’s IndiaAI mission in full swing, aiming to democratise access to technology and resources, India’s role in the global AI narrative is becoming impossible to ignore. The addition of AI4Bharat (IIT Madras), IIT Jodhpur, Infosys, KissanAI, People+AI, Sarvam AI, and Wadhwani AI to the AI Alliance isn’t just a membership update; it’s a statement of intent.
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Co-launched by IBM and Meta, the AI Alliance advocates for open innovation in AI. Joining the AI Alliance isn’t just about collaboration – it’s about ensuring that the future of AI is built on principles of openness, safety, and inclusivity. For a country as diverse and complex as India, contributing its unique perspectives and challenges to the global AI conversation is crucial. It means that AI technologies will be developed with a broader understanding of different societal needs, helping to reduce biases and ethical pitfalls in the future of AI and AI-based applications.
“India’s growing AI landscape presents unique opportunities and challenges,” said Dr. Amith Singhee, Director of IBM Research India and CTO of IBM India and South Asia, in an email statement on the occasion of seven Indian members joining the AI Alliance. “By joining the AI Alliance, these organisations will tap into global expertise, enabling them to tackle the ethical and technical challenges of AI for India head-on, and in an open manner,” he emphasised.
It’s easy to get caught up in the buzzwords – Generative AI, LLMs, open innovation – but what does this all mean for the average person? For starters, it means that the AI tools we interact with daily are becoming more inclusive and tailored to our unique cultural and linguistic needs. Take AI4Bharat, for example. Mitesh M. Khapra, the head of the organisation and an Associate Professor at IIT Madras, highlighted their mission: “We aim to push the boundaries of innovation in language technology for Indian languages, ensuring equitable access to AI for all,” he said.
Imagine a future where AI assistants understand not just English or Hindi but all the nuances baked into each of India’s 22 official languages and countless dialects. But it’s not just about language. Agriculture, a sector that employs a significant portion of India’s population, stands to benefit immensely.
Pratik Desai, founder of KissanAI, believes that “open innovation is not just a technological approach; it’s a commitment to building a more inclusive and sustainable future for agriculture.” Think about farmers accessing real-time data on weather patterns, soil health, and crop prices, all powered by AI models tailor made with their particular needs in mind.
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“Several initiatives at IIT Jodhpur aim to drive inclusive and ethical AI development, with a strong emphasis on responsible AI practices and the creation of robust foundation models focusing on the local context,” according to Professor Mayank Vatsa, Computer Science Department, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur. He also reinforced that IIT Jodhpur is committed to advancing AI education, equipping the next generation of researchers and practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed to shape a better future for all.
Pratyush Kumar, Co-Founder, Sarvam AI had this to say, “At Sarvam AI we believe in the value of open innovation in catalysing broad-based availability and adoption of AI technologies. We are excited to be part of the AI Alliance and look forward to working with various members to further the cause of open innovation.”
“If AI is to impact lives and livelihoods, it is imperative that it be open in many ways,” reiterated Shekar Sivasubramanian, CEO, Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, further emphasising that open data, open code, and open models are just the beginning in terms of creating an ecosystem that brings the benefits of AI to those who need them most. “This openness must be present in the creative minds of the AI scientists, in the data collection and refinement strategies used by AI to learn, and in the discipline in rolling out AI at scale in the human ecosystem. Inclusivity, humility, an unbiased approach and willingness to unlearn are all tenets of such an approach. Through the AI alliance, we hope to meaningfully expand the scope of our work as well as contribute to open AI initiatives worldwide,” said Sivasubramanian.
Echoing this sentiment, Tanuj Bhojwani, Head, People+ai said, “By working together, we hope to tackle the big challenges in AI development and ensure that the powerful tools we’re creating are used responsibly. We believe that collaboration and sharing knowledge are key to building AI systems that people can trust and use with confidence.”
By joining the AI Alliance, Infosys, a stalwart in India’s tech scene, is throwing its weight behind responsible AI adoption as well. Balakrishna D. R. (Bali), Executive Vice President at Infosys, pointed out that ensuring AI’s safety is an industry-wide endeavour. “We look forward to collaborating and building a robust ecosystem for AI’s open, inclusive, and responsible adoption and growth,” he said.
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It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess the anxieties and fears, as well as hopes and aspirations of all those who’re joining the AI Alliance, where broad collaboration seems to be the keyword. Commenting on the increased participation of Indian entities within the AI Alliance, Shivnath Thukral, Vice President and Head of Public Policy at Meta India, noted, “As we continue to push the boundaries for what is possible with AI, collaboration across borders and industries is crucial.” It’s a sentiment echoed across the board. Whether it’s startups like People+AI focusing on making AI technology safe and beneficial for everyone or academic institutions like IIT Jodhpur emphasising open research and ethical practices, the message is clear: we’re all in this together, and we need to collaboratively build a better AI-powered future.
But let’s not overlook the challenges. Developing AI that’s open, safe, and responsible isn’t a walk in the park. Like Shekar Sivasubramanian, CEO of Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, said: “If AI is to impact lives and livelihoods, it is imperative that it be open in many ways. Open data, open code, and open models are just the beginning.” The road to responsible AI isn’t just about technical prowess but also a commitment to ethical considerations, inclusivity, and transparency. Thankfully, these challenges come with their own rewards.
“The challenges of developing ethical AI standards also open up important opportunities, including reaching alignment at national and international levels towards how AI systems should be implemented, guidelines, and guardrails towards the system,” Ria Cheruvu, AI Software Architect and Evangelist at Intel, had told me in an interview. “A great example of this is determining categorisations of ethical AI risk that can apply to different sets of AI systems for varying use cases, enabling implementation of ethical AI guardrails,” Cheruvu said.
Ultimately, Responsible AI isn’t just about preventing AI misuse, it’s also about proactively ensuring that the technology benefits all strata of society. With the AI Alliance’s expansion, there’s a renewed hope that India will not just participate in but shape the global AI discourse.Also read: SLM vs LLM: Why smaller Gen AI models are better
Also read: SLM vs LLM: Why smaller Gen AI models are better
