India’s AI Moment: A Human Perspective
By Vaibhav Pandey
A New Era Begins
It all became real on March 7, 2024, when the Government of India launched the IndiaAI Mission. At first, it sounded like just another government announcement. But looking closer, you realize it’s a bold promise: we’re ready to write our own AI story, in the languages we speak, using our own data, and led by our people.
Rapid Progress—and Real Solutions
- In just a matter of weeks, 67 proposals landed on the table, coming from startups, research teams, and institutes across the nation.
- 22 of these are taking on advanced challenges—building Large Language Models (LLMs) and Multimodal Models (LMMs).
- The rest are working on domain-specific AI tools, focusing on areas that matter most to us: healthcare, education, and finance.
This shows the momentum isn’t just theoretical—change is already happening, and it’s happening fast.
Inclusion: AI for All
Projects like Digital India Bhashini are ensuring every Indian can access digital services in their own mother tongue—be it Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Hindi, or others. Over 350 AI language tools have already been built, and this is just the start.
Building Skills for the Future
What really inspires me is the focus on skilling our youth:
- YuvAI (with AICTE): Empowering young minds with hands-on AI and open-source projects.
- Srijan Centre (IIT Jodhpur & Meta): Engaging students with real-world Generative AI experience.
- FutureSkills PRIME, CERT-In, Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme: Working to bridge the talent gap, especially in smaller cities.
- 27 new AI & Data Labs: Rising in places like Patna, Gorakhpur, Shillong, and even Leh—this is what true inclusion looks like.
Why It Matters
The most exciting part? We’re not just users of AI—we’re creators. We’re building systems tailored to our own challenges and realities, not just following the West. If we stay on this path, India could easily become a global leader in responsible, inclusive, and homegrown AI innovation.
– Vaibhav Pandey
A curious learner & proud supporter of India’s digital and AI mission
