India has officially opened the door to sharing its indigenous artificial intelligence models with the Global South, positioning itself as a collaborative force in multilingual AI development and inclusive digital transformation. This declaration was made by IT Secretary S. Krishnan at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) Bhashantara 2025 conference, where government, industry, and international stakeholders convened to chart the future of human language technologies (HLT).
Krishnan underscored that India’s vast linguistic diversity serves as both proof of concept and launchpad for scalable natural language processing (NLP) solutions. He stated, “If you can do it in India, you can do it practically anywhere else in the world,” stressing the nation’s capacity to lead multilingual innovation, particularly for regions facing resource constraints.
India’s AI readiness is anchored by Mission Bhashini and the ‘Anuvadini’ application, both of which demonstrate successful digitization of local dialects and context-sensitive language modeling. A keystone of the IndiaAI Mission is ‘AI Kosh’, a public data repository housing over 400 datasets to support researchers and entrepreneurs in developing inclusive multilingual AI tools.
The Centre also confirmed that India is digitizing traditional knowledge—including Ayurvedic texts and historic manuscripts—to build culturally rich and medically relevant datasets for international use. Unlike ecosystems that rely solely on state or corporate funding, India’s approach emphasizes multi-stakeholder participation, integrating academia, startups, corporations, and research institutions.
This philosophy has attracted attention from UN officials, who previously praised India’s inclusive AI strategy and have now received a formal offer to collaborate. The move positions India as a viable alternative to dominant AI exporters, especially in addressing language parity across digital systems.
Industry leaders at the conference committed to expanded private sector involvement. Harsh Dhand, APAC lead for Research and AI Partnerships at Google and Co-Chair of FICCI’s Multilingual Internet Committee, urged the government to unlock historical data held by public broadcasters and create open research ecosystems. He called for coordinated efforts to prevent duplication and accelerate development.
Dhand also emphasized the importance of contributing technology access, startup funding, and skill development through academia and public-private partnerships. These steps are seen as vital for sustaining India’s ambition to become a foundational contributor to global AI infrastructure—especially for countries seeking adaptable, multilingual digital solutions.
India’s willingness to share its AI models reflects an evolution from data sovereignty to digital diplomacy, wherein technological inclusivity becomes a cornerstone of South-South cooperation.
