SRINAGAR: The Government of India has unveiled the India Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mission, an initiative approved by the Union Cabinet on March 7, 2024, with a five-year outlay of Rs 10,372 crore. Spearheaded by the Prime Minister , the mission aims to position India as a global leader in AI innovation by fostering an ecosystem aligned with national developmental objectives.
Briefing the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the government said the mission is structured around seven foundational pillars, each playing a crucial role in building India’s AI landscape. The lion’s share of the budget, Rs 4,563.36 crore, has been allocated to the creation of a scalable AI computing infrastructure under the IndiaAI Compute Capacity pillar. This project envisions the establishment of a cutting-edge network of over 10,000 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), set to enhance India’s AI capabilities significantly.
The IndiaAI Innovation Centre (IAIC), with a budget of Rs 1,971.37 crore, will serve as a hub for research and development, facilitating collaboration among academia, industry, and startups. The IndiaAI Datasets Platform, earmarked Rs 199.55 crore, is another pivotal component, designed to provide access to high-quality public sector datasets to startups and researchers, ensuring AI tools and platforms are developed with robust data pipelines and secure API-driven sharing.
The mission also prioritises capacity building and skill enhancement, dedicating Rs 882.94 crore to the IndiaAI FutureSkills programme, which will focus on nurturing homegrown AI talent. Meanwhile, Rs 1,942.5 crore has been reserved for financing AI startups, encouraging entrepreneurial ventures in this transformative domain. The IndiaAI Application Development Initiative, with an allocation of Rs 689.05 crore, will drive the creation of impactful AI solutions tailored to societal needs.
Ensuring ethical and responsible AI practices is a cornerstone of the mission. The Safe and Trusted AI pillar, funded with Rs 20.46 crore, focuses on the development of frameworks and tools to promote fairness, security, and transparency in AI technologies. Eight projects have been initiated under this pillar, addressing critical themes such as machine unlearning, synthetic data generation, bias mitigation, and privacy-enhancing technologies. For instance, IIT Jodhpur is leading a project on machine unlearning in generative models, while IIT Roorkee is working on synthetic data generation to reduce biases in machine learning pipelines. Other notable efforts include frameworks for explainable AI and participatory algorithm auditing tools.
In addition to these core pillars, Rs 102.69 crore has been allocated for administrative overheads and contingencies. With this comprehensive framework, the IndiaAI Mission is poised to revolutionise India’s AI landscape, promoting ethical innovation, empowering startups, and advancing technological frontiers to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth in the field of artificial intelligence.
