Budget 2024: Here Are AI-Related Expectations For FY25

As we approach February, all eyes are on the interim budget for FY25. There are expectations regarding the announcement of measures aimed at boosting artificial intelligence in the country. 

Let's explore certain key expectations, which could shape the future of AI in India.

India should allocate funds and invest in developing AI models that are significant and culturally relevant, according to S Anjani Kumar, partner at Deloitte India. These models should be trained in various local languages to serve people who do not speak English, he said. 

This is with regards to a large language model, which is like a smart tool that's good at understanding and generating language. In the case of India, where not everyone may understand English, a sovereign large language model becomes especially useful. It can be trained to understand and generate text in languages like Hindi, Tamil, or other local languages. So, people who may not be comfortable with English can still interact with and benefit from artificial intelligence in their own language. 

This would help leverage AI in healthcare, agriculture, education, smart cities, mobility, and governance more efficiently, according to Ranjana Adhikari, partner at IndusLaw. 

AI infrastructure is as critical as any other physical infrastructure element, said Kumar, while highlighting the need for computing power. 

This is in regard to a GPU, also called a graphics card, which is a special computer chip. It was first made to make graphics look great, like in video editing, gaming, and animation. Now, it's also used for other heavy jobs, like machine learning and video editing.

GPU computing is when the graphics card helps applications run better by taking on some of the hard tasks from the main computer chip or CPU. This teamwork makes everything work faster and more smoothly, especially for scientific and technical jobs.

Even in the GPAI Summit, 2023, PM Narendra Modi spoke on building computing capacities that will offer a leg-up for innovators and startups in the country while announcing a plan to launch an AI mission. 

In an attempt to bring value and impact to society in sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, and more, the government is expected to promote public-private participation in the development of AI, according to Tanu Banerjee, partner at Khaitan & Co.

However, experts who spoke with NDTV Profit claimed that to use AI in different sectors, some notification would have to bring changes to the current regulations.