Year of Innovation for AI in India. Reflecting on 2024.
The AI4India Weekly #32
As the Prime Minister emphasized at the GPAI Summit, AI is transforming the future, fostering connectivity, and driving both economic progress and social justice. The future of AI hinges on upholding human and democratic values. While AI boosts efficiency, it is crucial to preserve ethics and emotions. This week we look at the significant advances India has made in AI, in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of making AI accessible to all. Key developments include the acquisition of 10,000 GPUs, investments from Amazon and Microsoft, and IIT Madras' Shakti processor. These milestones were also central to the discussions at the AI4India event on December 20, covering language models and AI research.
A Promising Perspective on AI: Experts Reflect on Key Advancements in AI Over the Past Year
On December 20, 2024, the AI4India Forum hosted an event reflecting on notable AI advancements over the past year. Discussions included improvements in language models, diminishing returns on pre-training, and Google’s growing influence in AI research. Experts emphasized the future role of autonomous agents in automating tasks but cautioned against over-reliance on agentic thinking. The importance of AI tools like libraries and frameworks in streamlining development was also highlighted. A pressing need for efficient computation was discussed, driven by rapidly increasing data demands, underscoring the necessity for innovative hardware and software to meet future AI application requirements.
The discussion also highlighted the advancement of several key initiatives. The #DataDaan initiative will launch a dedicated platform to enable data sharing between donors and users for research and training, supported by ongoing outreach efforts. To accelerate AI adoption in India, there is a push to demystify its applications for both individuals and businesses while addressing common concerns. The conversation also focused on expanding collaboration with AI-focused organizations, government bodies, and public institutions. Furthermore, the potential of AI as a major employment driver will be explored in an upcoming white paper and efforts to refine ethical standards for AI development to continue.
Top AI Stories of 2024
Prime Minister Modi meets Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates engaged in an in-depth discussion on various important topics, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Prime Minister emphasized that democratizing technology has been a key principle in India’s progress and that the country aims to lead the 4th Industrial Revolution through digital advancements. He highlighted the importance of AI and stressed that empowering people with the skills to harness AI is crucial for technological innovation and growth. The conversation also touched on India’s strategic focus on AI, particularly with the approval of the IndiaAI mission and its significant funding. Concerns about AI misuse, such as deepfakes, were raised, and potential measures to address these challenges were discussed. Read More
Empowering India Through Data Daan: A Step Toward Viksit Bharat 2047: As India moves toward its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, the introduction of the “#DataDaan” campaign forms a key element of this transformation. #DataDaan goes beyond being a simple data collection effort; it is a crucial movement aimed at democratizing data access nationwide. By doing so, it lays the groundwork for AI-driven solutions that will accelerate India’s growth and ensure that development extends to all parts of the country. Read More
Government of India to Procure 10,000 GPUs: In a bid to enhance the nation's computational capabilities, the Indian government plans to acquire 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) over the next 18 months. This move, as stated by Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog and India's G20 Sherpa, aims to strengthen the country’s AI development infrastructure. Read More
Tech Titans Invest Big in India's AI Future: Amazon and Microsoft are making substantial investments in India’s AI sector. Microsoft plans to invest $3.7 billion in building data centers in Telangana, while Amazon is investing $12.7 billion in cloud infrastructure by the end of the decade. These investments highlight India's growing potential as a hub for tech innovation. Read More
Advisory Group Constituted to Build AI Regulatory Framework: The Indian government has set up an advisory group to create a comprehensive AI regulatory framework. This initiative aims to balance innovation with the necessary safeguards to ensure the ethical use of AI and prevent its misuse. Read More
ONOS: India’s Leap Toward Open Knowledge Access: India has launched the Open National Open Subscription (ONOS) initiative, which provides nationwide access to over 13,000 scientific journals. This landmark deal supports researchers, academics, and students, promoting open knowledge and scientific progress across the country. Read More
Paving the Way for India's AI Hardware Revolution with RISC-V: IIT Madras has developed the Shakti Processor, based on RISC-V, capable of running AAA games. This milestone demonstrates the potential for India to build powerful, homegrown AI hardware, marking a significant step in the country’s tech revolution. Read More
IndiaAI Mission: MeitY Ramps Up Efforts to Ensure Availability of AI-Usable Data Across Govt: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is working under the IndiaAI mission to ensure the availability of AI-usable data across government departments. This effort aims to make data more accessible, fostering AI innovation and enhancing governance. Read More
MeitY's Voluntary Ethics Code for AI Firms - A Step Toward Responsible AI Deployment: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is developing voluntary ethical guidelines for AI firms, particularly those involved with large language models (LLMs). These guidelines, due in early 2025, aim to ensure responsible AI deployment, focusing on fairness and preventing misuse. Read More
As the year comes to a close, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to all our subscribers for your continued support. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year filled with peace, happiness, and success!
#DataDaan - Donate for a Digital India
Aligned with the IndiaAI mission and the efforts from MeitY to ensure the availability of AI-usable data across govt, the #DataDaan campaign by AI4India.org is inviting participation from individuals and organizations to contribute valuable data for AI development in India. This initiative aims to gather diverse datasets to enrich the national data repository, supporting innovation across various sectors. We encourage everyone to read the detailed white paper on the campaign - https://bit.ly/DataDaan and fill out the form - http://bit.ly/3XfxD3H to contribute to this transformative effort.
We’ve also created a podcast on #DataDaan using Google’s NotebookLM, which transforms documents into engaging audio conversation. Listen to the podcast below!
This concerted push to make AI work for India highlights how data accessibility can unlock the potential for large-scale socio-economic transformation, driving innovation, and ensuring India’s competitive edge in the AI-driven global economy.
NOTE: The views expressed by the authors are their own. AI4India as a forum does not endorse any comments on specific brands, products, platforms or companies.
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