MAKING AI FOR BHARAT

With the IndiaAl Mission and growing startup innovation, the country’s push to build sovereign, culturally aware Al is underway — but scale is still the ultimate test

- Rohit Chintapali

AS THE EXPRESS train cuts through the golden fields between New Delhi and Bhopal, farmers pause their work to check weather forecasts in Hindi on smartphones, while nearby, their children practice English on colourful language apps. In Bengaluru and Hyderabad’s bustling tech campuses and much smaller startup offices, engineers meticulously refine algorithms to capture the subtle inflections of Tamil and the rhythmic cadence of Bengali. Throughout government corridors from Delhi to Kerala, policymakers craft frameworks ensuring AI’s transformative power reaches all 1.4 billion citizens - whether in Mumbai's gleaming towers or the mist-shrouded villages of Arunachal Pradesh. This isn't yet India's AIpowered reality in 2025, but rather the ambitious blueprint guiding technologists, policymakers and citizens.