IIT Bombay has unveiled BharatGen, a pioneering family of multilingual artificial intelligence models designed for India, just as international competition in AI technology intensifies. This announcement coincides with reports that US authorities requested AI startup Anthropic to limit access to advanced models for foreign users. The BharatGen initiative aims to provide a locally developed alternative, enhancing India’s linguistic capabilities in technology.

The launch was held during the Bharat Innovates 2026 event in Nice, France, highlighting India’s ambition to develop home-grown solutions. BharatGen is designed to engage with all 22 scheduled Indian languages, in contrast to many existing AI systems which primarily operate in English and a limited range of global languages.

The development is particularly timely, considering how nations are prioritising AI as a strategic asset. With over 1.4 billion people and numerous dialects, India seeks to reduce its dependence on foreign AI solutions by fostering its own technological advancements.

Technological Features of BharatGen

BharatGen represents more than a single application; it comprises various specialized AI models tailored to fulfil different purposes. At its centre is Param2, a foundational text model capable of performing tasks such as reasoning, coding, and utilising external tools across all recognized Indian languages.

Additional models include Shrutam2, which facilitates speech-to-text conversions in numerous Indian languages, and Sooktam2, a text-to-speech model that features advanced functionality like zero-shot voice cloning, enabling the generation of a voice akin to an individual’s after minimal audio exposure.

An important component, named Patram, is engineered to comprehend common documents and forms prevalent in India. This makes it highly applicable in various sectors, including banking, insurance, and governmental services. IIT Bombay asserts that BharatGen is positioned for extensive use in governance, healthcare, education, finance, and cultural preservation.

The Team Behind BharatGen

The initiative is spearheaded by Professor Ganesh Ramakrishnan from IIT Bombay’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering, along with CEO Rishi Bal and Vice President of Machine Learning, Dr Maneesh Singh. A team of over 60 researchers, engineers, and linguists from nine distinguished academic institutions are actively collaborating on this project.

BharatGen’s introduction occurs during a broader discussion regarding India’s standing in the global AI landscape. Prominent figures, such as Kris Gopalakrishnan, the co-founder of Infosys, recently commented on the hesitation of major IT firms—including TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL Technologies—to engage deeply in developing ChatGPT-like competitors. Their primary focus remains on stable profit generation for shareholders and economic contributions, which can make the pursuit of risky AI research challenging.

This situation raises critical questions about the future of AI development in India. If the nation’s leading IT companies are unwilling to spearhead this domain, speculation arises regarding who will take on the responsibility of shaping India’s AI future. Yet, initiatives like BharatGen embody India’s endeavour to foster innovation and technological independence in the face of global challenges.

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