India can build low-cost AI models just like Chandrayaan, Says Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

While highlighting the low cost India incurred to land Chandrayaan-2 on the Moon's surface, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated on February 5 that India should also be able to develop a large language model (LLM) at a fraction of the cost compared to other countries.

Vaishnaw who was in conversation with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, "Our country sent a mission to the moon at a fraction of the cost that many other countries did, right? Why can't we do a model which will be a fraction of the cost that many other countries do? So, yes, innovation will bring that cost to the world. We think that that kind of thing will come out in this process."

Vaishnaw's comments come a few weeks after he announced that India, as part of the Rs 10,738 crore India AI Mission, will be developing multiple foundational models and that it will be launched in the coming months. The government has identified 5-6 startups capable of developing the models.

"Every year there is 10x reduction in the cost of intelligence. That kind of innovation can come from anywhere in the world. Why shouldn't it come from India? That's the point. And our young entrepreneurs, our startups, our researchers, they are really, really focused on getting that next level of innovation, which will reduce the cost," Vaishnaw added.

Read More: Sam Altman clarifies AI cost remarks, says low-cost LLMs are now ‘doable’

During the conversation, Altman said that India is a massive market for artificial intelligence, and it is OpenAI's second biggest market.

""I see people in India are building with AI at all levels of the stack -- Chips, models, you know, all of the incredible applications. So, I think India should be doing everything. I think India should be one of the leaders of the AI revolution," Altman said.

Read More: Sam Altman clarifies AI cost remarks, says low-cost LLMs are now ‘doable’