India is testing an alternative to Silicon Valley’s AI playbook

Rest of World · 2 weeks ago

India launched a government-backed hackathon partnering Bhashini, Current AI, and Kalpa Impact to develop affordable, multilingual AI tools that run offline using open-source models for use in schools, farms, and villages with limited connectivity. Organizers will select 20 teams to receive hardware kits and mentorship, with winning solutions to be deployed in government departments. The initiative reflects a shift toward viewing AI as public infrastructure rather than proprietary products, though experts question whether hackathon prototypes can scale without sustained funding, engineering talent, and clear business models.