TLDR: The Stimson Center highlights India’s unique ‘Samaj, Sarkar, Bazaar’ philosophy for building an inclusive and ethical AI ecosystem. Key initiatives include the development of an indigenous foundation model (Sarvam AI) and a platform for diverse datasets (AI Kosh), aiming for technological sovereignty and socially impactful applications.
India is forging a distinctive path in the global artificial intelligence landscape, guided by an indigenous philosophy that integrates society (Samaj), government (Sarkar), and markets (Bazaar). This multi-stakeholder model, detailed in a recent Stimson Center commentary, emphasizes aligning technological innovation with public purpose and fostering collaboration to ensure AI development is both inclusive and ethical. The approach positions India as a burgeoning leader in responsible AI.
Central to this strategy is the pursuit of technological sovereignty. In early 2025, the Indian government selected Sarvam AI to develop the nation’s first large-scale, indigenous foundation model. This ambitious project aims to reduce dependence on foreign AI models. The 70-billion-parameter model is being trained entirely within India, utilizing 4,096 government-backed NVIDIA H100 GPUs. Its design prioritizes fluency in Indian languages, advanced reasoning capabilities, and efficient deployment on low-resource devices, ensuring it is tailored to India’s unique linguistic, cultural, and regulatory context.
Another critical component is ‘AI Kosh,’ an initiative designed to address the pervasive challenge of dataset bias and the lack of context in global AI applications. AI Kosh provides inclusive, anonymized datasets to startups, researchers, and academic institutions. This resource empowers the development of AI solutions specifically tailored to Indian needs, with a strong focus on vital sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education, and regional language translation.
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The overarching goal of these efforts is to create a unified AI ecosystem through robust public-private partnerships, the establishment of cutting-edge computing infrastructure, and the democratization of AI skills and education. India’s regulatory stance is carefully balanced, promoting innovation while maintaining stringent ethical oversight. By prioritizing local language innovation and socially impactful applications, this collaborative framework seeks to ensure that AI serves the broader societal good, making it both inclusive and responsible for India’s future.
