The Challenge: AI That Understands India
Key Takeaways from the India AI Conclave 2026 at IIT Bombay
At the Conclave on AI for Science, co-hosted by BharatGen and CMINDS, there was a strong and shared emphasis on building AI that accelerates science responsibly and inclusively.
BharatGen’s work and direction were acknowledged by leaders across the IndiaAI, DST, and academic ecosystem.
Alt: India AI Conclave 2026 at IIT Bombay | BharatGen on AI for Science
From the government perspective, Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, DST, emphasised that AI should support and enhance scientific discovery, while keeping researchers and domain experts at the center. He underlined the importance of mission-driven, domain-specific AI programmes for national impact.
Prof. Shirish Kedare, Director, IIT Bombay, cautioned that while AI must be embraced, it must be done with care and responsibility. He noted that AI’s true strength lies in acting as an integrating force across disciplines, without diluting scientific identity, a philosophy reflected in BharatGen’s approach.
Dr. Ekta Kapoor highlighted that India’s AI journey must move from experimentation to deployable, inclusive systems, especially for science and public good, and noted initiatives like BharatGen that are designed with this objective.
Representing BharatGen, Dr. Amol Gite spoke about the need to build foundational AI infrastructure for science that is open, collaborative, and rooted in Indian contexts. He emphasised that BharatGen is focused on creating multilingual and multimodal capabilities that researchers across domains can build upon, ensuring AI becomes an enabler of scientific productivity rather than a barrier.
The discussion also included inputs from Mohammed Safirulla, reinforcing the importance of cross-institutional coordination to translate AI research into public value.
Kavita Bhatia (IndiaAI) spoke about the need for responsible AI systems grounded in Indian data, languages, and real-world use cases, and referred to BharatGen as an important national effort aligned with these priorities.
The conclave reinforced a clear national consensus:
Source: PM Modi LinkedIn
