IndiaAI Mission: Safe & Trusted AI Pillar Strengthens Citizen Trust
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · Governance
Why in news
The government highlighted the progress of the IndiaAI Mission, particularly its Safe and Trusted AI pillar, which aims to build citizen trust through safe, fair, and responsible AI solutions. The mission has approved 13 responsible AI projects, 58 AI Centers of Excellence, and 27 data and AI labs to strengthen safe and trusted AI.
Background
The IndiaAI Mission was approved in March 2024 with a budget of ₹10,371 crore over five years to create a comprehensive AI ecosystem in India. It comprises seven pillars: IndiaAI Compute, Foundation Models, AIKosh, IndiaAI Application Development Initiative, FutureSkills, Startup Financing, and Safe & Trusted AI.
Key facts
The Safe and Trusted AI pillar promotes responsible AI development through indigenous governance frameworks, standards, tools, and evaluation mechanisms.
13 responsible AI projects have been approved, covering bias mitigation, machine unlearning, privacy-preserving AI, explainability, deepfake detection, and AI risk assessment.
58 AI Centers of Excellence (AI-CoEs) are being established across states and UTs in collaboration with state governments and industry partners.
27 Data and AI Labs have been set up, training over 2,500 students; work on 188 additional labs is ongoing.
20 indigenous sovereign model proposals have been identified, including 12 Large Language Models (LLMs) and 8 Small Language Models (SLMs).
Notable models include Sarvam AI's 30B and 105B parameter models, Gnani AI's speech-to-speech model, BharatGen's multilingual foundation model, and Avatar AI's video generation model.
237 projects have been supported with 93 lakh GPU hours approved for affordable computing.
12 national-level hackathons/innovation challenges launched; 62 AI prototypes developed and 20 AI solutions deployed.
686 fellowships awarded for UG, PG, and doctoral programs across 178 institutions; over 26 lakh individuals completed the Young AI for All program.
Key initiatives include Sakshee (multi-agent framework for deepfake detection by IIT Jodhpur and IIT Madras), AI Veshleshak (audio-visual forgery detection), and IIT Kharagpur's real-time voice deepfake detection system.
Prelims pointers
- IndiaAI Mission approved in March 2024
- Budget: ₹10,371 crore over five years
- Seven pillars: Compute, Foundation Models, AIKosh, Application Development Initiative, FutureSkills, Startup Financing, Safe & Trusted AI
- Safe & Trusted AI pillar: indigenous governance frameworks, standards, tools, evaluation mechanisms
- 13 responsible AI projects approved
- 58 AI Centers of Excellence (AI-CoEs)
- 27 Data and AI Labs established
- 20 indigenous sovereign model proposals (12 LLMs, 8 SLMs)
- Young AI for All program: over 26 lakh completions
- Sakshee: multi-agent framework for deepfake detection
Mains angles
- Discuss the role of the Safe and Trusted AI pillar in addressing ethical concerns like bias, privacy, and deepfakes.
- Critically examine the IndiaAI Mission's approach to balancing innovation with risk mitigation.
- Evaluate the potential of indigenous AI models in reducing dependence on foreign AI technologies.
- Analyze the effectiveness of AI Centers of Excellence and Data Labs in skilling India's youth for AI-driven jobs.
- How can India's AI governance framework influence global AI standards and regulations?