IIT Bombay Launches BharatGen: India's Multilingual AI Model Built for the Nation's Languages and People

In a major boost to India's artificial intelligence ambitions, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has launched BharatGen, a next-generation multilingual AI platform designed specifically for India's linguistic and cultural diversity. The platform was unveiled during the Bharat Innovates 2026, held from June 14 to 16 in Nice, highlighting India's growing leadership in indigenous AI development.

IIT Bombay Launches BharatGen: India's Multilingual AI Model Built for the Nation's Languages and People

As AI technologies become increasingly important across industries, language accessibility remains a challenge in a country with hundreds of languages and dialects. BharatGen addresses this gap by developing AI models that can understand, process, and generate content in all 22 scheduled Indian languages, making advanced technology more accessible to millions of citizens.

Developed by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay, the initiative is led by Ganesh Ramakrishnan, along with CEO Rishi Bal and Vice President of Machine Learning Maneesh Singh. BharatGen is supported by a consortium of nine leading academic institutions and a multidisciplinary team of over 60 researchers, engineers, and linguists dedicated to building AI solutions tailored to India's needs.

At the heart of the platform is Param2, a powerful foundational language model capable of reasoning, coding, and tool-calling functions across multiple Indian languages. Unlike many global AI systems that primarily focus on English, Param2 allows users to interact naturally in their native language while maintaining high levels of performance.

Another key innovation is Shrutam2, an advanced automatic speech recognition model that converts spoken language into text with high accuracy. This capability is particularly important in India, where voice-based digital interactions are becoming increasingly common.

Complementing this is Sooktam2, a sophisticated text-to-speech system capable of generating natural-sounding speech in multiple Indian languages. The model also supports zero-shot voice cloning, enabling realistic voice generation without extensive training data.

BharatGen further introduces Patram, a document vision model developed to understand and process Indian documents such as certificates, forms, records, and government paperwork. This feature has the potential to improve efficiency in public administration, banking, insurance, and enterprise operations.

The platform is expected to have a transformative impact across sectors including healthcare, education, governance, finance, insurance, and digital public services. By enabling AI-powered communication in local languages, BharatGen can help bridge the digital divide, especially in rural and underserved regions.

Supported by the Department of Science and Technology and the IndiaAI Mission, BharatGen reflects India's commitment to developing open, transparent, and indigenous AI technologies. The initiative aims to ensure that the benefits of artificial intelligence are accessible to all citizens, regardless of language or location.

With its multilingual capabilities, open architecture, and India-centric design, BharatGen represents a significant milestone in the country's technological journey. It demonstrates how advanced AI can be adapted to local contexts, empowering communities and supporting India's vision of becoming a global leader in responsible and inclusive artificial intelligence.