India has 22 official languages and hundreds of dialects. This has made removing language barriers in digital services, education, healthcare, and governance an important task.
In Mumbai, food delivery driver Vinet Sawant struggled to understand order instructions in his early months on the job due to his lack of English skills. Last year, Zepto added an AI-based translation feature to its driver app, offering six language options.
Professor Pushpak Bhattacharyya says that the lack of high-quality digital data in local languages is the main challenge in creating AI models. In 2022, the government launched the Bhashini project to develop AI models in 22 languages. The platform now has 350 language models.
AI technologies are also being applied in healthcare. Mumbai researchers are creating a multilingual, personalized AI program aimed at reducing tobacco consumption.
Experts note that expanding AI’s language capabilities is important not only for technological progress but also for social inclusion. Sawant says: “When the app speaks our language, we feel more confident and work more efficiently.”
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