BharatGen Builds AI That Speaks India, Thinks India, Lives India

Image Source: The Federal

BharatGen, a pioneering initiative led by IIT Bombay’s Ganesh Ramakrishnan and supported by the Indian Department of Science and Technology, is building a fully indigenous generative AI stack deeply grounded in India’s linguistic diversity and cultural heritage. This groundbreaking AI ecosystem is designed to reflect Indian languages, dialects, thought patterns, and cultural concepts, delivering locally relevant and secure AI solutions.

Building AI with an Indian Soul
Ganesh Ramakrishnan, a distinguished professor at IIT Bombay and the principal investigator of BharatGen, stresses the importance of “Indianness” as an intrinsic value in the generative AI systems being created. Unlike many global AI models largely focused on English and a handful of major languages, BharatGen’s stack prioritizes Indian languages—ranging from Hindi to regional dialects—and Indian cultural contexts.

This approach extends beyond language to include the conceptual framework and data governance, ensuring that AI models understand and respect nuances unique to India’s social fabric, collective mindset, and indigenous knowledge systems.

Data Sovereignty and Secure Local Deployment
Central to BharatGen’s mission is data sovereignty—the principle that data generated and used for AI training remains within Indian borders, safeguarding user privacy and national interests. Localized control over data enables deployment of AI applications in sensitive sectors without fear of external exposure, fostering trust and compliance with India’s regulatory environment.

Ramakrishnan emphasizes that BharatGen aims to own “the entire recipe,” akin to having the seeds to a tree rather than relying on imported components. This sovereignty empowers India to develop and govern AI technologies aligned with its strategic priorities.

A Multimodal and Multilingual AI Stack
BharatGen is advancing a multimodal AI framework that integrates text, speech, and images, thus supporting a range of applications from natural language processing and conversational assistants to computer vision tasks relevant for governance, healthcare, agriculture, and education.

The initial release covers foundational models across 22 Indian languages, with plans to expand to over 120 recognized languages and dialects, addressing India’s rich linguistic diversity and digital inclusion goals.

Collaboration and Innovation Ecosystem
In collaboration with academic institutions, innovators, and industry partners including IBM Research India, BharatGen is developing scalable AI platforms using open-source technologies optimized for India’s requirements. The ecosystem incorporates advanced governance frameworks to ensure ethical AI deployment and builds benchmarks specific to Indian contexts and languages.

This collaborative ecosystem fosters a vibrant AI research and development environment, inviting startups, technology providers, and government agencies to leverage BharatGen’s indigenous models for creating specialized solutions.

Impact Across Sectors
BharatGen’s Indian-centric AI models are set to transform critical sectors by enabling vernacular-native digital interactions and customized services. Healthcare may benefit from AI-driven telemedicine in local languages, agriculture from smart advisory systems aligned with regional practices, education from language-tailored learning platforms, and governance from accessible citizen services.

Such inclusive AI innovation strives to bridge the digital divide, making cutting-edge technology accessible and relevant for all segments of India’s population.

India’s Strategic AI Milestone
BharatGen is more than a technological project—it represents a strategic milestone in India’s AI journey, aligning with prime minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “India’s Techade” where India builds sovereign, inclusive, and responsible AI infrastructure. By leading in indigenous AI stack development, India joins a select group of nations shaping global AI future with homegrown innovation.

Sources: The Tribune India, IBM Research India, Economic Times, BharatGen initiative overview, IIT Bombay, 2025