Ola Enters AI Market
In a significant move, Bhavish Aggarwal, the co-founder of Ola, has entered the fiercely competitive field of artificial intelligence (AI) with the unveiling of Krutrim Si Designs. Positioned as ‘India’s own AI,’ Krutrim aims to revolutionize the landscape dominated by global players like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI.
The Genesis of Krutrim
Krutrim, meaning “artificial” in Sanskrit, represents a family of large language models (LLMs). The unveiling of Krutrim comes with the promise of being a game-changer, incorporating a unique approach to AI by being trained on the largest representation of Indian data. This approach is designed to cater specifically to the linguistic and cultural diversity of India, setting it apart from AI models predominantly trained in English.
Cultural Context and Linguistic Diversity
Aggarwal emphasized the importance of language as more than just text, being a carrier of cultural values, context, and ethos. With India’s rich multicultural and multilingual context, he argued that existing AI models struggle to capture this diversity. Krutrim, however, aims to bridge this gap by being trained on unique datasets specific to India, making it more attuned to the country’s cultural nuances.
Vision for India’s AI Leadership
Aggarwal articulated a compelling vision for India to become a global leader in AI, emphasizing the need for an AI-first economy. He sees AI as a catalyst for improving labor and capital productivity, propelling the Indian technology industry onto a nonlinear path. Krutrim, with its India-first cost structures, is envisioned as a tool not only for economic empowerment but also as a means to elevate India to a global knowledge center and leader in scientific discoveries.
Krutrim’s Features and Capabilities
Krutrim boasts a comprehensive suite of capabilities, including its base model and the advanced Krutrim Pro. The Pro version promises multimodal, larger knowledge capabilities and technical advancements for inference. Trained on a staggering 2 trillion tokens, Krutrim showcases superior performance on various global LLM evaluation benchmarks, underlining its technical prowess.
During the launch event, Aggarwal demonstrated the capabilities of Krutrim through an AI chatbot, drawing parallels to established models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. The ability to seamlessly switch between languages and discuss diverse topics, from Bengali poetry to Bollywood movies and masala dosa recipes, positions Krutrim as a versatile conversational AI assistant.
The Road Ahead: Beta Version and Beyond
Ola has announced that the beta version of Krutrim will be available from January 2024 as an application programming interface (API) for enterprises and developers. This move aims to encourage the creation of AI-driven assistants proficient in multiple Indian languages. The more advanced Krutrim Pro is slated for release in Q4 of FY24.
Applications in Education and Business
Krutrim’s linguistic prowess is touted as a valuable tool for various applications, ranging from education to business communications. Ola emphasizes the incorporation of the latest techniques in safe AI to mitigate inappropriate responses, aligning with contemporary concerns regarding ethical AI usage.
Infrastructure Development: The Backbone of Krutrim
Aggarwal highlighted the significance of AI infrastructure, including the development of an indigenous data center and plans for server computing, edge computing, and supercomputers. The company is not only investing in physical infrastructure but also focusing on technology to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and promote greener and sustainable solutions.
Towards Self-Sufficiency: Designing Silicon Chips
In a forward-looking statement, Aggarwal expressed the necessity for India to design its own silicon chips, emphasizing that while AI is the soul, infrastructure and silicon are the body in which it runs. This signals Ola’s ambition to not only be a consumer but also a creator of the foundational technology powering AI.
Timeline and Future Prospects
The production timeline for Krutrim indicates mid-2024 for prototypes and a full-scale rollout by the end of 2025. Ola’s foray into building its technology for data centers signifies a holistic approach towards establishing self-sufficiency in AI development.
Krutrim’s Potential Impact
As Ola’s Krutrim steps onto the stage of global AI competition, it carries the promise of not just being a linguistic powerhouse but a cultural bridge, addressing the unique needs of India’s diverse population. The unveiling of Krutrim is a significant milestone, marking India’s ambition to shape the future paradigms of economy, culture, and technology through the lens of artificial intelligence.
