Transforming India's Digital Landscape
Amitabh Nag, CEO of BHASHINI at MeitY, shared insights into the homegrown AI platform's transformative impact on India's digital landscape. Bhashini processes around 6 million inferences daily, making it one of the largest systems globally. It has also played a crucial role in creating digital data for languages like Sindhi, which previously lacked a digital presence.
Addressing Five Core Challenges
Enabling computers to understand speech in 22 Indian languages.
Facilitating translation between these 22 languages.
Converting text into spoken language.
Interpreting printed text and converting it into editable format.
Identifying and classifying named entities in text.
Bhashini has developed over 300 AI models, open-sourced and available as a service, to address these challenges.
Building a Homegrown Database
To address the lack of digital data for many Indian languages, Bhashini adopted an innovative approach. Using a mobile app, they captured images and recordings related to various topics, which were then transcribed. This initiative involved over 200 people and significantly enriched the platform's database.
Scale and Impact
Bhashini processes a staggering 6 million inferences daily, operating on a system with approximately 150 GPUs. It serves around 300 customers across various sectors. Notably, Bhashini has converted railway manuals into audio formats for visually impaired individuals and is working on making Indian maps available in 22 languages.
Bridging Divides
financial, digital, electricity, and language. By enhancing solutions tailored to each issue, Bhashini can contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society.
India's AI Leadership
Nag expressed confidence in India's ability to lead globally in AI, citing successful initiatives like UPI and the efficient handling of passport issuance, e-filing, income tax filing, and vaccine distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Future Without Language Barriers
Nag envisions a future where Bhashini seamlessly translates languages, eliminating communication barriers and empowering individuals to access information and services regardless of their language.