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| BharatGPT-Indias Leap into the Global AI Arena |
A prestigious consortium named 'BharatGPT' comprising India's leading industrial giant, Reliance Industries, alongside eight esteemed Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has unveiled its ambitious timeline to launch an indigenous alternative to the widely popular conversational AI chatbot, ChatGPT, in March 2024. The AI model, named 'Hanooman', is poised to propel India onto the global stage as a formidable contender in cutting-edge generative language technologies.
Significance for India's AI Ambitions:
In alignment with India's aspirations to emerge as a powerhouse in Artificial Intelligence, matching ambitious policy goals such as the National AI Strategy, which envisions a $1 trillion contribution to the economy by 2036, this collaborative effort marks a significant stride. It represents the first credible attempt to create locally tailored large language models with profound technological capabilities and broader socio-cultural alignment.
Focus Areas and Uniqueness:
While specific details remain undisclosed, BharatGPT has emphasized its focus on building contextual awareness around India's linguistic diversity, encompassing knowledge across diverse domains from agriculture to yoga, and integrating entertainment with education. These facets serve as differentiation points for the Made-in-India chatbot service, positioning it to compete against industry giants like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI.
Reliance Leading the Private Sector Charge:
With a market capitalization of $200 billion, Reliance has been at the forefront of private sector investments in forward-looking technologies such as 5G telecom, green energy, and now AI. Leveraging its proven execution scale and deep integration potential with millions of retail consumers, Reliance is uniquely positioned to accelerate the adoption of AI technologies. The company is already working on 'Jio Brain', a platform aimed at utilizing AI across its vast network of approximately 450 million subscribers.
Public-Private Partnership Model:
BharatGPT epitomizes a collaborative effort between India's elite public technology institutions, including IIT Bombay, Delhi, Madras, alongside Reliance and its subsidiary, Asteria Aerospace. Together, they will provide robust research support in AI, as well as handle product development, testing, rollout, and commercialization within a collaborative framework.
BharatGPT envisions the model to operate across 11 local languages, focusing on four main fields: healthcare, governance, financial services, and education. The model has been developed in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology universities, notably IIT Bombay, supported by wireless carrier Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., and the Indian government.
Large Language Models:
Large Language Models (LLMs) like Hanooman are systems that learn from extensive datasets to generate natural-sounding responses. Representing a newer type of artificial intelligence known as generative AI, BharatGPT's endeavor promises to consolidate India's technological self-reliance credentials, leveraging synergies between academic excellence and private sector enterprise leadership.
By spearheading innovation in conversational AI, BharatGPT aims to propel India towards technological self-sufficiency while contributing significantly to the global democratization of AI, ensuring the equitable distribution of power in this transformative field.