Anticipated to debut in March, the initiative is the result of a partnership between Jio Infocomm and IITs, where the project was developed.
Reliance Industries, backed by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, is collaborating with leading engineering institutions in India to introduce a competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Codenamed Hanooman, this generative AI is slated for release in March, as reported. Developed under the BharatGPT consortium, which encompasses Jio Infocomm and IIT Bombay, along with eight affiliated universities, the initiative aims to democratize AI accessibility across India.
Demonstrations of the technology took place during the NASSCOM Technology Conference in Mumbai, showcasing its multilingual capabilities. The AI model, set to function in 11 local languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Marathi, will focus on pivotal sectors including governance, healthcare, education, and financial services. Additionally, it endeavors to support all 22 official languages of India, facilitating widespread accessibility.
Jio’s involvement extends to Jio Brain, an AI-driven platform catering to a vast network of 450 million subscribers. At an earlier event hosted by IIT Bombay, Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, discussed the BharatGPT project, highlighting its developmental stages and its alignment with the company’s overarching vision. Established as a pioneering public-private partnership in the AI landscape, this collaboration builds upon Reliance’s longstanding relationship with IIT Bombay dating back to 2014.
BharatGPT signifies a significant stride in India’s AI narrative, amplifying indigenous efforts to keep pace with global advancements in generative technologies. Notably, the launch of Krutim, an Indian app by Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal, represents another stride in harnessing generative technologies on a national scale.
