India open to sharing AI models with Global South, says MeitY secretary S Krishnan

The government approved the IndiaAI Mission in March 2024

India is open to sharing its artificial intelligence models with the Global South, ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) secretary S Krishnan said on July 25, positioning the country as an alternative to dominant AI ecosystems.

"If you can do it in India, you can do it practically anywhere else in the world," Krishnan said at FICCI’s Bhashantara 2025 conference in New Delhi.

India’s willingness to share AI capabilities with the Global South stems from ongoing discussions with UN officials, who have taken note of the country’s efforts to develop open, adaptable AI tools.

As part of IndiaAI Mission, four startups — Sarvam, Gnan. ai, Socket and Gan. ai — have got the government’s nod to build foundational models. They are.

The secretary pointed to AI Kosh, the government’s data repository of more than 400 curated datasets, as a key pillar in India’s AI strategy.

The platform supports entrepreneurs and researchers in building language AI models and applications. Flagship programmes such as Mission Bhashini and Anuvadini, he said, are already capturing regional dialects.

At the event, industry stakeholders laid out a wishlist for faster development of multilingual AI. Harsh Dhand, research and AI partnerships APAC lead at Google and co-chair of FICCI’s Multilingual Internet Committee, urged the government to unlock access to archives at Prasar Bharati and All India Radio, better connect research institutions to avoid duplication and optimise resource use.

Ajay Data, chairman of Multilingual Internet Committee, said domain names are now available in all official Indian languages, a crucial step in building an inclusive web.

“With over six billion people globally not speaking English as their primary language, the commercial opportunities in this space are immense,” he said.

The so-called Global South refers to more than 100 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, including India, which are regarded as having a relatively low level of economic and industrial development and are located to the south of the advanced economies.