India’s AI diplomacy: Sharing multilingual models with the Global South

• Instead of building closed-off ecosystems, India is positioning itself as a bridge—offering AI toolkits tailored for diverse languages and cultural contexts.
• Unlike tech innovation models driven solely by the state or the corporate sector, India advocates for a multi-stakeholder ecosystem.

India is stepping onto the world stage with a spirit of collaboration, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence.

On Friday, IT Secretary S. Krishnan reiterated India’s readiness to share its rapidly evolving AI models with countries in the Global South. The announcement, made at FICCI’s ‘Bhashantara 2025’ conference, signals a major leap in India’s diplomatic and technological ambitions—underscored by a distinctly inclusive approach.

Harnessing its extraordinary linguistic diversity, India is well-placed to lead the development of advanced natural language processing (NLP) and multilingual AI tools.

“If you can do it in India, you can do it practically anywhere else in the world,” Krishnan noted, underlining India’s unique environment as the ideal testing ground for robust, diverse language technologies.

India’s collaborative stance hasn’t gone unnoticed. UN officials have previously acknowledged this openness, and now, the formal pledge boosts India’s profile as a trusted partner for regions navigating multilingual, resource-limited challenges.

Instead of building closed-off ecosystems, India is positioning itself as a bridge—offering AI toolkits tailored for diverse languages and cultural contexts.

Backed by successful projects such as Mission Bhashini and the Anuvadini application, India has demonstrated its ability to push the boundaries of human language technology. Particular attention has been paid to regional dialects, making these tools more accessible and inclusive for communities often left out of tech revolutions.

The momentum is powered by the IndiaAI Mission, a government initiative fostering innovation by providing ‘AI Kosh’, a robust repository of over 400 databases. The rich resource serves as a playground for startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs to develop next-gen, multilingual AI solutions.

India’s efforts also extend to digitising traditional knowledge—from age-old Ayurvedic texts to historical manuscripts—expanding the global pool of health and research data.

Unlike tech innovation models driven solely by the state or the corporate sector, India advocates for a multi-stakeholder ecosystem. The approach actively pulls in talent and investment from academia, industry, and research organizations for a communal push in advancing AI.

Private sector engagement was also front and center at the FICCI event. Harsh Dhand, a Google leader and FICCI Multilingual Internet Committee Co-Chair, called for greater data transparency.

He suggested unlocking historical data from public broadcasters and connecting diverse research initiatives, helping avoid redundant efforts. Dhand also emphasised that the industry’s role can be expanded beyond technology provision to include seed funding for startups, university collaborations, and nurturing AI skills across the board.

India’s open-source spirit—in technology as well as governance—continues to win attention. By inviting the Global South to share and iterate on its multilingual AI advancements, India is betting on collective progress, paving the way for more widely accessible technological solutions across continents.