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BharatGen CEO Rishi Bal said India needs useful AI models rather than simply larger systems like global frontier models. In an interview with FPJ, he highlighted the model's commitment to sovereignty, multilingual abilities, and the fact that it is built using over 20 trillion tokens of indigenous data. BharatGen aims to support 22 languages through affordable and accessible AI solutions.

While global frontier models like ChatGPT and Claude continue to chase ever-larger scale, BharatGen is charting a different course altogether. Housed at the Technology Innovation Hub and backed by the government's IndiaAI Mission, BharatGen recently unveiled Param2, a 17-billion-parameter multilingual model. At its core is a commitment to sovereignty - built on India's own data and compute, so that no single geopolitical shock, whether a war or a tariff war, can disrupt it.

In an exclusive conversation with the , opens up on why India is betting on sovereign AI on its own terms, with over 20 trillion tokens of indigenous data, a 60+ strong research team, and a 100-strong intern pipeline shaping the roadmap.

1. FPJ: BharatGen recently unveiled Param2, a 17-billion-parameter multilingual model, at the India AI Impact Summit. Global frontier models are now being built at a much larger parameter scale — why is BharatGen betting on a smaller, India-specific model instead of chasing scale?

Rishi: At BharatGen, we're deeply committed to building for India and building for India means that we build models that are affordable and accessible. Our 17 billion parameter model hits the sweet spot in terms of affordability and quality and that's just the starting point. We're going to continue growing these models and ensuring that we have a suite of models that are accessible to all people.