Indian-origin researchers abroad pitch for India’s AI foundational model, says MeitY’s Abhishek Singh

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India’s push for developing indigenous AI foundational models is seeing interest not just from homegrown talent but also from Indian-origin researchers and engineers working abroad, according to Abhishek Singh, additional secretary at MeitY and CEO of the IndiaAI Mission.

“We are seeing many qualified people return from the US. The foundational model call for proposals is also one option that is giving some opportunity and we have got some proposals from Indian minds and Indian researchers who are currently abroad and they are forming companies and they are aligning with their partners within India to build solutions,” Singh told Moneycontrol at a virtual roundtable, ahead of next week’s Nasscom Technology & Leadership Summit.

For this, Singh said that 67 applications have been received so far, and a committee has been set up to evaluate them. This growing interest from Indian-origin researchers, as highlighted by Singh, signals a shift in India's tech sector, reversing years of brain drain to the US and other developed nations.

On January 30, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that India is set to develop its Large Language Model (LLM), designed specifically to meet the country’s needs. Subsequently, the Indian government, on February 11, earmarked Rs 1,500 crore under the IndiaAI Mission to support the development of indigenous foundational AI models.

Use-case capital of the world

But what happens once the LLM is ready? Singh believes that India will be the AI use-case capital of the world. This idea has also been echoed by Aadhaar architect and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, along with other tech leaders.

One such organisation that is focused on driving applications in different domains, including startups, is the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for IoT and AI, spanning Bangalore, Gurgaon, and Ahmedabad.

Many use LLMs for generating research ideas, so much so that top foundational model builders have now started launching deep research models. However, CEO of the CoE, Sanjeev Malhotra, believes plugging research ideas into an application alone is difficult.

“So, they have to go through a stage where they sell their research idea to somebody where it can be commercialised or that team which has done the research, the students can open their own startup. So, these are the two routes,” Malhotra said at the roundtable.

As a result of the massive adoption, India also needs to maintain a steady supply of AI talent, Singh added. Previously launched programs will contribute to talent development.

For example, the introduction of AI and data science courses at the school level and initiatives such as the YUVAi program, which has trained over 100,000 students in AI concepts and projects.

The Union Budget 2024 also allocated Rs 500 crore for a new AI centre focused on education.

Nonetheless, AI would mean the loss of jobs, at least in the short term when job roles evolve.

To minimise the effect, Nitin Seth, CEO of IT service management company Incedo says that the objective for us should be to unleash a “Tsunami” of entrepreneurship in India. “We have to more than compensate... by creating an entrepreneurial revolution. That to me is really the central point we are very well placed for that, given our age profile and technology absorption,” Seth added.

Also, read: Decoding IndiaAI: Inside India's Rs 10,372-crore plan to boost AI infrastructure

India’s AI talent pipeline

Meanwhile, the larger chunk of the workforce however would be Indians, and as a result of the massive adoption, India also needs to maintain a steady supply of AI talent, Singh added.

When asked about building a strong AI talent pipeline in India, Singh said India’s growing AI expertise, citing the Stanford AI Index 2024 report, ranks the country as the global leader in AI skill penetration.

“India has one of the world's largest AI-trained workforces. We have traditionally been the brain-power garage for the world,” Singh said.

Beyond AI, similar trends are visible in sectors like space, with reverse brain drain gaining momentum due to progressive policies and emerging opportunities in India, Singh added.