Krutrim and Bhashini AI, along with India’s AI Budget allocations, put the nation on the cusp of a major transformation. While the world reels from Deepseek R1 and OpenAI’s o3-mini, India is ready to position itself as a leader in the AI revolution.
Homegrown companies like Ola’s Krutrim and initiatives like Bhashini AI are making small ripples in the AI field. Thereby, showcasing how the nation is taking concrete steps toward achieving digital sovereignty. Modi 3.0 and India are working towards their own technological narrative – free from the influence of foreign AI models.
India’s AI Budget 2025: A Commitment to Innovation
AI Centres of Excellence Update – Budget 2025-26
Following the three Centres of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence established in 2023 for Agriculture, Health, and Sustainable Cities, a new Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for Education will be set up.
Total… pic.twitter.com/D2SAwGVcbx— NSDC India (@NSDCIndia) February 1, 2025
The 2025 Union Budget, under Modi 3.0, has firmly committed to bolstering India’s AI capabilities. ₹500 crores were allocated to establishing a Centre of Excellence for AI in education. Moreover, there is an 84% increase in funding for electronics, semiconductors, and AI. Hence, Bharat is laying the groundwork for its own thriving AI ecosystem.
The Budget Initiatives aim to foster innovation, nurture talent, and develop AI infrastructure that caters to the unique needs of India.
The IndiaAI mission, with an investment of $1.25 billion, aims to make India a global leader in AI. Thus, these efforts reflect the government’s focus on long-term strategies that are industry-driven and geared toward enhancing Bharat’s position in the global AI race.
Krutrim and Bhashini AI: The Pillars of Bharat’s Digital Sovereignty
India can’t be left behind in AI. @Krutrim has accelerated efforts to develop world class AI. As first step, our cloud now has DeepSeek models live, hosted on Indian servers. Pricing lowest in the world https://t.co/FJiy7Ut7k0
Details on our AI lab, SOTA model and research… pic.twitter.com/Fkz2jkxuX7
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) January 31, 2025
India’s quest for digital sovereignty finds strong support in innovative ventures like Krutrim SI Designs and Bhashini AI. These are two examples of homegrown AI platforms that exemplify the country’s commitment to building independent, localized solutions.
Krutrim SI Designs, led by Bhavish Aggarwal, has emerged as a key player in the AI and tech industry.
With ₹200 crore in funding, Krutrim focuses on creating AI models tailored specifically to the Indian context. By developing its own cloud infrastructure and silicon chips, Krutrim is positioning India as a global leader in AI. Thereby, minimizing reliance on foreign players. Hence, this initiative, backed by substantial investment, showcases India’s potential to redefine the landscape of AI technology and contribute to global innovation.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our incredible Startups driving innovations through Bhashini!
Your contributions are truly invaluable in making Bhashini a driving force for a Digital India—where technology becomes a bridge, not a barrier.@GoI_MeitY @amitabhnag @startupindia pic.twitter.com/fhM5geImfm
— BHASHINI (@_BHASHINI) February 3, 2025
Meanwhile, the Bhashini AI initiative is part of the broader Bhasha Bharat Project launched by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).
It seeks to revolutionize language technology in India. It leverages AI capabilities such as Natural Language Processing (NLP), machine translation, speech recognition, and text generation. Thus, Bhashini AI is designed to empower India’s multilingual society. By focusing on regional languages, Bhashini AI ensures that India’s diverse linguistic needs are met, all while enhancing digital communication and transactions.
Both Krutrim and Bhashini AI are examples of India’s growing AI capabilities, ensuring that the country remains in control of its technological destiny. These platforms are designed to serve India’s unique needs. From supporting local languages to fostering innovation in AI models, they cater to Bharat’s diverse culture and economy.
Why Bharat Needs Its Own AI?
This is what LLM censorship is, in the era of Temu-ization of AI one needs to be very careful what they learn and how bias the output can be. Here is an example: I’ve asked the same question to ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and DeepSeek. Enjoy pic.twitter.com/eDGtNvmxMT
— Zeeshan Usmani (@zeeshanusmani) January 28, 2025
As AI technologies evolve globally, India cannot afford to remain dependent on foreign AI models. They often come with limitations, biases, or censorship. Moreover, they can never be free from suspicions of Data Mining! The growing importance of data sovereignty and digital independence makes it imperative for India to build its own AI platforms. Thereby, ensuring that its own AI models reflect its values and priorities.
1/ A deep dive into AI political bias:
Do AIs like ChatGPT or Google Gemini lean left or right? Past studies often used political quizzes to find out, but those don’t quite reflect real-world user interactions with AI. In a new analysis, I take a different approach 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/SuOdEnca2W
— David Rozado (@DavidRozado) January 23, 2025
Foreign AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini often suffer from geopolitical biases and issues with data privacy.
ChatGPT is criticized for its Hinduphobic tendencies and censorship of political discussions. Similarly, Google’s Gemini refuses to process politically sensitive queries. These biases pose significant risks to India’s digital future. And recently released Deepseek R1 is only celebrated for its computational superiroity and cheap costs!!
Know for a fact that #DeepSeek is biased and riddled with inconsistencies. Not only that, it can sell user data to thrid-party platforms. Still think it's better than ChatGPT? pic.twitter.com/9153hzjBMZ
— Cyrus John (@cyrusthewhyrus) January 30, 2025
However, This Chinese AI model has a deeper political bias than the American one, and no one is sure of its data privacy levels!
What Deepseek’s CCP Bias Means for the Future of AI Governance
Battle for AI supremacy is not just about who builds the best models, but who controls the narratives these models generate. #Deepseek #DeepSeekAI #Security #China #ChineseAI #ChineseCommunistParty
Read More:… pic.twitter.com/sCZdZi14Se— Centre for Integrated and Holistic Studies (@cihs_india) January 29, 2025
With platforms like Krutrim and Bhashini AI, India is creating solutions that are free from external influence and tailored to its own needs. These initiatives will safeguard India’s data privacy. Moreover, they will ensure that Bharat’s digital infrastructure is aligned with national interests, reinforcing the country’s path toward digital sovereignty.
Final Verdict: Digital Sovereignty in Reach With Krutrim and More
India’s AI budget for 2025 and the rise of platforms like Krutrim and Bhashini AI signal a new era of digital independence for the country. By investing in AI research, fostering local innovation to creating homegrown solutions, India is positioning itself to become a formidable player in the global AI landscape.
The nation’s focus is on developing AI platforms that cater to local needs—whether in terms of language, culture, or economic priorities.
Hopefully, it will ensure that Bharat’s digital future remains firmly in its own hands. By advancing AI research, scaling up infrastructure, and safeguarding data sovereignty, India has the potential to lead the world in AI, all while shaping the future of technology on its own terms.