In a pivotal moment for India’s technology sector, Ola’s CEO Bhavish Aggarwal recently introduced Krutrim AI, a groundbreaking artificial intelligence model developed in India. At an event held in Bengaluru, Aggarwal showcased the model, highlighting its design that caters specifically to the needs of the Indian market. Krutrim AI distinguishes itself with its ability to interact in several Indian languages and perform real-time coding, a feat that sets it apart from other models which are predominantly trained on data from Western contexts.
What is Krutrim AI?
With a name that means ‘artificial’ in Sanskrit, it is a large language model (LLM) which, as per Aggarwal, has been trained on more than 2 trillion ‘tokens’; these tokens are sub-words used in conversations.
2 Versions of Krutrim AI
Krutrim AI is available in two versions. The first version is the base Large Language Model (LLM) known simply as Krutrim. This version has been trained on a vast dataset of 2 trillion tokens and is capable of understanding 22 languages, with the ability to generate responses in 10 Indian languages. According to the company, Krutrim surpasses globally recognized models such as GPT-4 and Llama in terms of its performance on Indian languages.
One of the key strengths of Krutrim is its extensive training on Indic tokens, which is 20 times more than any other existing model. This significant focus on local languages enhances its ability to understand and respond in voice format, making it highly versatile in dealing with different forms of communication.
The team behind Krutrim in Bengaluru has also teased the development of an even more sophisticated model, named Krutrim Pro. This advanced version is expected to be multi-modal and is slated for release in the coming quarter, promising to bring even more capabilities to the forefront of India’s AI advancements.
An AI solution for India
Aggarwal underscores that Krutrim is a product of comprehensive development, with the entire framework meticulously designed by the Krutrim team. In a Q&A session, he underscores the necessity for a solution finely tuned to the specific needs of India, stating,
“India needs a solution that is thought out from the ground up for itself.” Aggarwal envisions Krutrim as a pivotal player in India’s trajectory toward becoming an AI-first economy, emphasizing the crucial alignment with Indian cultural nuances and cost structures.
He sees Ola Krutrim as an integral part of realizing the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India), leading the charge in shaping the AI landscape for the next 25 years. Aggarwal underscores the pivotal role that AI is poised to play in shaping the future economy and culture, positioning Krutrim as a key component in this transformative journey.
Key Highlights of Krutrim AI
Enthusiastic users can express their interest in Krutrim AI through the newly launched website. The registration process involves providing a phone number, and the company plans to notify registrants when the chatbot becomes available. The base LLM will be accessible to everyone starting next month, and APIs are anticipated to be released in February.
Key Features of Krutrim:
- The model exhibits proficiency in comprehending 20 Indian languages and can generate content in ten of them.
- Among the languages it supports for content generation are Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Odiya, and Telugu.
- The project team asserts that Krutrim surpasses even GPT-4 in its support for Indic languages.
- Employing a custom tokenizer, this LLM effectively interprets various languages and scripts.
- According to the company, when compared to other open-source LLMs trained with similar data volumes, Krutrim outperformed them on a variety of industry-standard benchmarks.
Krutrim: First Indian AI startup to get Unicorn Status
Krutrim, the AI arm of the Ola group, has achieved the distinction of becoming India’s first artificial intelligence unicorn. This milestone was reached following a successful funding round that raised $50 million, with Matrix Partners leading the investment. For clarity, a unicorn refers to a privately owned startup with a valuation exceeding $1 billion.
This marks Bhavish Aggarwal’s third venture to achieve a $1 billion valuation, following the success of Ola and Ola Electric.
The funds secured through this round will play a pivotal role in accelerating Krutrim’s mission to revolutionize the AI landscape, drive innovation, and extend its global presence. Aggarwal reiterated the commitment to establish India’s comprehensive AI computing stack, underscoring the significance of homegrown AI development.
