Sovereign Artificial Intelligence: A Strategic Imperative

The article discusses the importance of a Sovereign AI strategy for India in the age of AI, emphasizing its implications for economic and national security. The author proposes a framework for building this strategy, integrating government and private AI initiatives.

GovAI + Private AI = Sovereign AI

• AI's Role: AI acts as a transformative layer on digital infrastructure, enhancing efficiency and service delivery.
• GovAI: The deployment of AI in governance (GovAI) can significantly impact public services by making them smarter and more predictive.
• DPI + AI = GovAI: Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), which includes vast data repositories, serves as the foundation for GovAI.
• Data Utilization: The India Datasets Programme aims to provide non-personal or anonymized data for AI training, crucial for developing India’s AI capabilities.

Developing an Architecture for GovAI

• Dataset Utilization: DPIs like Diksha can train AI models for improved service delivery, such as smarter education outcomes.
• Small Language Models (SLMs): Models for specific use cases can evolve into large language models (LLMs) through cooperative learning.
• Future Collaboration: Sovereign AI models could collaborate with other AI models globally to enhance learning and move towards artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Government and Innovators Partnership

• Leadership Support: India's Sovereign AI initiative requires backing akin to that provided to the Digital India and Semiconductor Mission.
• Partnerships: Collaboration between government, private sector, and academia is crucial for building AI models, platforms, and talent.
• Global Impact: Developing Sovereign AI could position India as a leader in safe, trusted AI, especially for the Global South.