IIT Bombay Launches BharatGen, India’s Multilingual AI Model Family

India is advancing its own artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities as global competition and geopolitical tensions increase. Shortly after US authorities reportedly asked Anthropic to limit access to advanced AI models for foreign users, India introduced BharatGen, a homegrown AI initiative. The launch took place at the Bharat Innovates 2026 event in Nice, France, where IIT Bombay presented BharatGen as an open, multilingual AI model suite tailored for India’s needs.

Key Highlights

• IIT Bombay unveiled BharatGen, a multilingual AI model suite for India at a global event in France.
• BharatGen supports all 22 scheduled Indian languages and includes models for text, speech, and document tasks.
• The project is part of the $1.2 billion IndiaAI Mission to promote open, homegrown AI development.

BharatGen’s Multilingual Capabilities

BharatGen stands out by supporting all 22 scheduled Indian languages. Most leading AI models focus on English and a few global languages, but BharatGen aims to serve India’s linguistic diversity. This approach addresses the needs of over 1.4 billion people who speak hundreds of languages and dialects.

The BharatGen project is not a single chatbot. Instead, it is a collection of AI models designed for various tasks. The core model, Param2, is a foundational text model. Param2 can reason, code, and use external tools while operating in all scheduled Indian languages. The suite also includes Shrutam2, which converts speech to text in multiple Indian languages, and Sooktam2, a text-to-speech model. Sooktam2 features zero-shot voice cloning, allowing it to generate a voice similar to a speaker’s after hearing only a short sample.

Another model, Patram, focuses on understanding documents and forms commonly used in India. This makes it useful for sectors such as banking, insurance, and government services. BharatGen is already being developed for applications in governance, healthcare, education, finance, insurance, and cultural preservation.

Government Support and Research Collaboration

BharatGen is a flagship outcome of the IndiaAI Mission, a government initiative worth about $1.2 billion. This program provides selected startups and research groups with subsidised computing power in exchange for making their AI models publicly available. The goal is to reduce reliance on foreign AI systems and promote open access to advanced technology.

The project is led by Professor Ganesh Ramakrishnan at IIT Bombay’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering. CEO Rishi Bal and Vice President (Machine Learning) Dr Maneesh Singh also lead the initiative. More than 60 researchers, engineers, and linguists from a consortium of nine top academic institutions are involved in BharatGen’s development.

India’s AI Strategy and Industry Debate

BharatGen’s launch comes as India debates its role in the global AI race. Recently, Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan commented on why India’s major IT firms have not produced a ChatGPT-like competitor. He noted that companies such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL Technologies focus on steady profits, job creation, and earning foreign exchange. These priorities make it harder for them to invest in high-risk AI research that may not yield immediate returns.

This situation has raised questions about who will drive India’s AI future if large IT companies do not take the lead. BharatGen represents a significant step by academic and research institutions to fill this gap and ensure India remains competitive in AI development.