New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) As the artificial intelligence (AI) race heats up globally, India has devised an exhaustive strategy to create a full AI stack and OpenAI is willing to collaborate with the country on this mission, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. After meeting OpenAI Co-founder and CEO Sam Altman in the national capital, the Union Minister posted on X that Altman praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision around AI and overall aim to democratise technology.

"Had super cool discussion with @sama on our strategy of creating the entire AI stack - GPUs, model, and apps. Willing to collaborate with India on all three," Minister Vaishnaw posted. The Minister further stated that PM Modi "guides us to democratise technology" and Altman "appreciated PM's vision". Earlier, Altman who is the owner of popular ChatGPT models, said India is a very important market for AI and the company's second biggest market globally.

According to him, India should be a leader in the AI race. "AI models are still not cheap, but they are doable. India should be a leader there, of course," he told the gathering. Altman expressed amazement at how the country has embraced the technology and built an entire ecosystem around it. In the recently presented Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the creation of three Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in AI for education. The initiative, with a budget allocation of Rs 500 crore, aims to strengthen AI research and its use in the education system in the country.

The new AI Centres of Excellence will work on advanced research, the development of AI learning tools, and foster collaboration between educational institutions and industries. The goal is to equip students with the skills they need to thrive in the future. "AI is transforming industries worldwide, and India needs to lead in both AI research and its practical applications," FM Sitharaman said. The country is also likely to launch its own safe and secure indigenous AI model within six months at an affordable cost. Backed by a high-end common computing facility, the IndiaAI mission is now closer to customising indigenous AI solutions for the domestic context using Indian languages.

/IANS