Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew attention to Bhashini, India's indigenously developed AI-based language translation tool, during his address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on July 4. Bhashini, launched as part of the National Language Technology Mission (NLTM) in July 2022, aims to leverage technology to bridge the gap between distinct Indian languages.
Addressing the heads of state at the SCO, which included leaders such as Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, Iran's Ebrahim Raisi, and Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif, PM Modi expressed India's willingness to share Bhashini with the SCO members as a means to eliminate language barriers and promote digital technology and inclusive growth.
Under the NLTM, Bhashini functions as a government portal providing language technology solutions as digital public goods. The mission's primary objective is to leverage current technology, such as AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP), to overcome barriers in communication between different Indian languages. The Bhashini platform aims to make AI and NLP materials available in the public domain for use by Indian MSMEs, startups, and individual innovators.
To facilitate the activities of Mission Bhashini and promote the language technology ecosystem, the Digital India Bhashini Division (DIBD) was established under the Digital India Corporation (DIC). This division, an Independent Business Division (IBD), serves as an anchor for Mission Bhashini activities and fosters collaboration with startups.
The Bhashini platform currently offers access to over a thousand pre-trained AI models. These models are also accessible to Bhashini ecosystem partners through Open Bhashini APIs. Users can leverage the platform to translate live speech into multiple local languages, enabling effective communication across language barriers.
Key highlights of the AI-powered Bhashini initiative include its emphasis on building a community of contributors who work together to achieve the mission's objectives. Bhashini aims to create an integrative architecture based on open data and open-source software principles, encouraging collaboration and innovation within the ecosystem. Stakeholders within Bhashini's ecosystem include central and state governments, research and academia groups, industries, startups, publishers, data collection and curation companies, language missions, and individuals.
Contributions from these stakeholders enhance the accessibility of multilingual content and facilitate internet usage in users' native languages. Bhashini serves as an open data resource that digitally enhances users' language experience. The platform offers a user-friendly interface, enabling easy translation between local languages and English. Through the Anuvaad section on the website, users can simply type their text and have it translated into their chosen language.
Bhasha Daan is another section of the platform that allows anyone to participate in crowdsourcing initiatives. It offers four options: Suno India (Listen India), Bolo India (Speak India), Likho India (Write India), and Dekho India (See India). These initiatives have garnered participation from numerous individuals, with 1,479, 1,501, 572, and 597 people engaging in the respective activities thus far.
Bhashini's AI-based translation tool holds significant promise in breaking down language barriers within India and promoting inclusive growth. By harnessing the power of technology and fostering collaboration within its ecosystem, Bhashini aims to create a more connected and accessible linguistic landscape for the nation.
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