India may ask critical departments to avoid foreign AI: Are homegrown models ready?

The Centre is considering asking critical government departments to avoid AI models developed by foreign companies and adopt homegrown alternatives, particularly in sensitive sectors such as defence and aerospace. Under the IndiaAI Mission, 20 models by 12 startups have been approved, with several developers already rolling out products. Officials say some domestic models have achieved up to 80 per cent of the capabilities of leading AI models.