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Why Mukesh Ambani Owned Hanooman Could be India's Answer to ChatGPT

RIL-backed Hanooman addresses the vernacularisation issue by supporting 11 Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Marathi

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Preeti Anand
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Hanooman

Hanooman

In a historic step, Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the genius behind Reliance Industries, has led India into the competitive AI race. Ambani's Seetha Mahalaxmi Healthcare (SML), in collaboration with the prestigious IIT Bombay and eight other Indian Institutes of Technology, has launched "Hanooman," a collection of large language models (LLMs) rigorously trained on 22 Indian languages. The ambitious "BharatGPT" initiative intends to democratise AI by breaking down linguistic barriers and making it accessible to India's various users.

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On 1 February 2024, Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, unveiled Hanooman, an Indian AI model touted as a potential rival to ChatGPT. This announcement marks a significant step forward for India's AI aspirations, aiming to address the limitations of existing language models and cater to the country's unique linguistic landscape.

Hanooman Has Multimodal Capabilities

Unlike traditional language models, Hanooman adds more to the table than text. Its multimodal AI capabilities allow it to generate and analyse content in various media, including text, speech, and even video. Hanooman can help you seek healthcare advice in your native or local language, receive a personalised video response, and produce educational content tailored to different learning types.

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Open Sourced Innovation

The first wave of Hanooman models, with parameters ranging from 1.5 billion to a startling 40 billion, will be released next month. It is vital to emphasise that these models will be open-source, allowing developers and academics to build on them and create specific applications for various areas.

Inclusion of Linguistic Diversity

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With its many languages, India presents a significant challenge for AI development. RIL-backed Hanooman addresses this issue by supporting 11 Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Marathi. The AI's goal is to integrate all 22 Indian languages, revolutionising access to information and communication for millions of people who struggle to communicate in English while also allowing them to use the AI in their language. By focusing on Indian languages, Hanooman can bridge the digital divide and make AI accessible to a broader population in India. The model's capabilities can accelerate innovation across various sectors, leading to new products, services, and solutions. Hanooman can contribute significantly to developing Indian language processing technologies, potentially benefiting research and education.

Applications of Hanooman AI

Hanooman's impact goes well beyond essential translation services. Picture chatbots offer seamless customer help in local languages, empowering healthcare, governance, financial services, and education users. The potential is limitless. As BharatGPT's Hanooman prepares for its grand debut, India is on the verge of a groundbreaking AI revolution that offers inclusivity, innovation, and empowerment.

Conclusion

Hanooman's introduction is a promising first step for an AI model centred on India. However, its adventure has only begun. The success will be determined by tackling difficulties, cooperating with stakeholders, and constantly adapting to meet the changing needs of users and industries. It's important to acknowledge that the model is still under development, and its capabilities and impact will be more precise with time. Further information about data privacy measures, specific functionalities, and rollout plans will likely be released in the coming months.

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