Krutrim – India’s Own AI to Answer Your Queries in Your Own Language

ChatGPT was revolutionizing, after this no matter how many Bing, Bard, and Gemini came, It did not lose its status. This very fact raised a question in my mind, when so many similar solutions already exist, what would an extra addition, KRUTRIM, within the same industry do? 

If you don't know what Krutrim is, then here is the simplest explanation - It is India's version of Gemini and ChatGPT. I know you are asking the same question as I did.

Why another tool in an industry that is dominated by the giants already? 

On digging deeper, I found out what was the vision behind it, and what it is bringing to the table that others in the market are not. 

Krutrim - India stepping into AI 

Firstly, I take a lot of pride in sharing that Krutrim has been developed in India and for Indians. No doubt that the tool will expand globally as well, but currently, it is curated especially to cater to the Indian audience at the moment. 

Krutrim is a Sanskrit word which means 'artificial' quite literally. From the name to its build, Krutrim's ground rock was established in India only by Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal. Ola itself is a successful startup that provides car rental, hiring, and taxi services. It was started in 2010 and has been running successfully so far. 

Krutrim is another bold move from Ola to help India become an AI first economy. As Bhavish Aggarwal stated - "It is our time to realize the dream of Viksit Bharat and lead the AI vision over the next 25 years. AI is going to define the future paradigm of economy and culture."

Krutrim is not just another AI; it is a step towards showcasing India's prowess and self-reliance in the tech department. 

Yes indeed Krutrim is all this, but to me it seems more than that. I understand the vision at a personal level. It is not just a powerful AI to assist you in your assignments or work or make you productive but it is a tool for those too who couldn't access information due to language barrier or circumstances such as not being technologically advanced to access information on the internet.

Not just it, there's more! 

The technological distinctiveness of Krutrim 

Just like every other tool, Krutrim uses NLP (Natural Language Processing) to understand human emotions, expressions, and intent properly. And to be further able to respond back fluently and with the same expression used by the user. 

It further uses ML (Machine Learning) to keep expanding its capabilities by constantly learning from the interactions it has with the users. This helps it become smarter, better, and more equipped to answer user queries by constantly adapting to changing demands. 

What makes it special is that it has been trained on 2 trillion Indic language tokens which is 20 times more than any other tool used as claimed by Krutrim. Which means it can understand multiple languages effectively.

The 'vernacular' and 'voice' effect 

The big brands, the industry dominators, and the first movers, all of them claim to understand multiple languages; however, they still failed to give answers accurately in Indian vernacular languages. Krutrim solved that problem. 

For many who only understand their regional language, Krutrim has opened doors to research and has given an opportunity to become aware of surroundings. The application is capable of responding to voice queries as well, which further solves the problem for several people who, due to many reasons, could not get the opportunity to read and write. 

At a personal level, it feels like a huge win for me. My grandfather was a well-read man with respectable degrees who worked for the government. My grandmother, on the other hand, did not have resources growing up, to reach the same level. Even though she was always supported by family and never made to feel inferior, yet I saw her refraining from conversations related to academia or even the regular stuff like politics. 

She was a smart woman who did not get enough opportunities, and deep down, I knew she always wanted more. She wanted to be aware, she wanted her opinions to be heard. But she couldn't voice them because she wasn't confident as whatever knowledge she gained was from listening to others. 

What would make you feel more confident? 

Something you learned through your research and development or something that you were just told? 

If a technology like Krutrim would have been there a decade ago I am confident she would have been the first one to use it. It feels like a small thing, but you and I would never know what it is like to live in a bubble and rely on others for information since you can access it yourself. 

Many out there are not educated enough to read and write. A solution like Krutrim, which can understand voice commands that are in vernacular language, would give them a sense of freedom and confidence. 

The social impact Krutrim can make in our society is immense, and we cannot even imagine its depth currently; we’ll probably find out in another decade! 

It's more than just an AI; it's an AI for India! 

The factor that Krutrim caters to the needs of people of India is what makes it stand apart. It is trained to respond as per the cultural nuances and relevance. Not just that, it is also there to respect and protect the legacy and history of India. 

In one of the Tweets shared by OLA CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, we can clearly see the discrepancy in the description of India's Identity before the British Raj. 

Thus, rightly said - "This is why we need India's own AI." 

I was too curious not to test this myself. When asked by Krutrim if the British looted India, it had a clear-cut answer saying 'Yes. At the same time, Gemini, on the other hand, had no words to answer this question. 

Why? Aren't AI tools trained on the data available? Isn’t it common knowledge that the British exploited and looted Indian wealth? Then why couldn't an equipped tool find an answer to that? 

It makes you wonder, doesn't it? 

Finally, our history cannot be manipulated anymore. 

A historic milestone for India 

"India needs a solution that is thought to ground for itself. For India to be an AI-first economy, we need to build the whole stack at the Indian performance levels, Indian cultural relevance, and Indian cost structure." - Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal

India is on its way to becoming a developed economy in another two decades. It is currently one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with a hefty population that is not just smart but also hard-working. Entering the AI spectrum will give a further boost to its economy by assisting people and making them productive. 

While at a global level, it has set our reputation about our capabilities and showcased why Silicon Valley is still dominated by Indians. 

Above all, it is a legacy that we will be leaving behind for the generations to come. A legacy to get empowered from, a platform to learn about the Indian subcontinent from, and an upheaval to take inspiration from. 

A quick glimpse into Krutrim

Addressing the elephant in the room, here is the crux of all the things Krutrim can do. 

• It is multilingual and is capable of understanding 22 languages with the ability to respond back in 10. 
• It has been trained specifically on Indian data to understand the cultural and traditional references. This also makes it capable of giving solutions for problems in different industries in India based on historical experiences. 
• It uses a custom tokenizer to understand multiple vernacular languages. 
• It is an AI by Indians for Indians! 

Krutrim - A statement and a revolution

As I see it, Krutrim is a way to connect our future to our roots and values. As the first AI developed within the nation from ground zero it is an epitome of innovation and evidence and we are ready to lead the different aspects of world economy. 

Most importantly, it sets the tone that we are not looking for external help or interference to grow. We are capable enough to build and lead ourselves. 

*Please note, any content in this article is not meant to harm anyone’s sentiments. If done so, I do not apologize since I just stated well known facts and it’s high time we accept the wrongdoings of the past and the exploitation of glorious India. Acceptance is the first step towards redemption. 😊

Cheers!