As India sprints toward its vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, bridging the digital divide remains one of the country’s greatest challenges — and perhaps, its biggest opportunity. In a country where language diversity is both a strength and a barrier, initiatives like Bhashini and the newly launched AIKosh are stepping in to reshape the future of digital accessibility.
At the helm of these projects, Amitabh Nag, CEO of Bhashini and Director of AIKosh, who believes that true digital empowerment must begin by breaking down barriers — of language, of data accessibility, and of opportunity. In a conversation with ilouge Media, Nag detailed an ambitious roadmap: democratizing access to AI tools, creating a self-sustaining innovation ecosystem, and ensuring that no citizen is left behind in India’s digital journey.
Mr. Nag, could you start by giving us a brief overview of the AIKosh initiative and your vision for it?
The AIKosh initiative builds upon the foundational work, we have been doing with Bhashini, where we integrated datasets, models, and tools into a single platform to serve as a comprehensive reference for users. Similarly, with AIKosh, we are creating a unified ecosystem that brings together datasets, AI models, computational resources, and supportive tools.
The goal is to make it easier for researchers, startups, and other innovators to access these resources on a single platform. A key aspect of AIKosh is fostering a vibrant community where individuals can collaborate, learn from each other, and drive collective growth.
Our ultimate vision is to democratize AI — making cutting-edge tools, models, and data easily accessible to a broader audience. Through this, we aim to unlock the vast data potential within the country. While the journey will take time, with continued effort and collaboration, we believe the ecosystem will mature, and everything will fall into place.
Are you open to collaborations and partnerships to drive these initiatives forward?
Yes, we are actively seeking collaborations and partnerships. Our typical modes of collaboration include innovation challenges, hackathons, and other engagement initiatives. Additionally, we have published an Expression of Interest (EOI) on our website, inviting contributors to participate and contribute to the platform in various ways — particularly through datasets and other relevant resources.
We are also encouraging mentors to enroll and support the community by guiding participants through their learning and contribution journeys. All these activities are being brought together on the same platform.
The broader objective is to build a strong, self-sustaining community where members collaborate, share knowledge, and support each other’s growth. Through collective efforts, we aim to drive innovation and accelerate the democratization of AI.
How are Bhashini and AIKosh contributing to the larger national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047?
One of the fundamental aspects to consider when we talk about AI, and particularly use cases like Bhashini, is their role in solving last-mile problems. Today, one of the biggest challenges at the last mile is communication and digital connectivity.
As the world rapidly moves towards a digital future, digital inclusion becomes critical. However, a significant portion of our population struggles to access digital platforms due to language barriers, the digital divide, and literacy gaps.
Bhashini is addressing these issues by enabling access to digital platforms in local languages, thus empowering citizens to participate more fully in the digital economy. Similarly, AIKosh, by democratizing AI resources like data, models, and tools, is creating opportunities for broader participation in innovation and research.
Together, initiatives like Bhashini and AIKosh are crucial building blocks in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 — a fully developed, inclusive, and digitally empowered India.
One of the core challenges we must address as we work towards Viksit Bharat 2047 is digital inclusion. A major barrier today at the last mile is communication — specifically, the ability to access and participate in the digital world.
Bhashini, as a major AI use case, directly addresses this issue. It aims to bridge the digital divide caused by language barriers and literacy gaps. Without accessible digital platforms, a large section of our population risks being excluded from the benefits of digitization.
Bhashini’s core contribution lies in promoting digital inclusion — enabling people, especially those on the other side of the literacy and language divide, to access digital services in their own languages. This ensures that the entire population can participate meaningfully in the digital economy.
The results speak for themselves:
- For example, the Skill India Digital website is now receiving over 300,000 translation hits per month. This indicates a strong demand and clear need for multilingual digital platforms.
- Beyond websites, the impact is broader. Ten startups are currently building innovative applications using Bhashini’s core technology across sectors like healthcare, productivity, tourism, and more. These startups are creating real-world use cases, expanding Bhashini’s relevance and applicability.
Thus, Bhashini and similar initiatives are crucial for making India digitally inclusive, empowering every citizen, and supporting the vision of a developed India by 2047.
Those numbers are impressive! Could you share the long-term mission and future roadmap for Bhashini and AIKosh?
If you look at it, we still have a long journey ahead. While we have achieved significant milestones, much more remains to be done. Our long-term mission is to keep moving forward — continuously improving our translations, enhancing our models, interacting closely with users, and building new use cases.
A crucial part of this mission is involving the younger generation. We must ensure that they are not left behind due to language barriers or digital challenges. By empowering them and making digital tools and platforms more accessible, we are laying the foundation for a truly inclusive and progressive future.
Ultimately, our mission is to create an ecosystem where innovation thrives, language and digital divides are eliminated, and every citizen can participate fully in India’s digital growth story.
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The story of Bhashini and AIKosh captures a larger truth about India’s digital future: technology alone will not drive transformation; accessibility and collaboration will. It is not enough to build sophisticated AI models if they remain locked behind technical walls. The real test will be how quickly and how meaningfully these platforms can empower the average citizen — the young coder from a small village, the non-English-speaking entrepreneur, the teacher seeking AI-driven tools in a rural school.
As India approaches 2047, it faces a choice. It can build a digital economy that serves the privileged few, or it can democratize technology so that innovation truly rises from every corner of the country. In that sense, initiatives like Bhashini and AIKosh are not just technological projects — they are social missions.
As Nag aptly puts it, ‘The journey ahead is long, but with continued collaboration and effort, everything will fall into place.’
In a nation that thrives on audacious dreams, the vision he lays out feels not only necessary but inevitable. If India’s digital revolution is to be truly inclusive, projects like these will have to succeed — and the country must be ready to support them.
