Lattice 2026 at IIM Calcutta: Digital India Bhashini CEO Discusses AI Ecosystem
Digital India Bhashini CEO Amitabh Nag addressed the annual business conclave 'Lattice 2026' at IIM Calcutta. He shared insights on scaling AI solutions from experimental models to real-world applications, emphasizing the importance of digital public infrastructure and multilingual technologies in fostering digital inclusion across India's diverse linguistic landscape.
The annual business conclave 'Lattice 2026' was held in Kolkata at IIM Calcutta, centered on the theme 'The Capability Decade.' The event brought together industry leaders, professionals, and students to deliberate on the future of artificial intelligence, leadership, and technological innovation in a rapidly evolving landscape. Amitabh Nag, CEO of the Digital India Bhashini Division, attended as the chief guest.
Sharing insights from India's experience in building digital public infrastructure, Nag highlighted the challenges of moving AI beyond controlled environments into real-world deployment. He noted that technology must adapt to the specific circumstances of the people it serves, addressing the interconnected gaps in digital access, language, and literacy.
Nag emphasized the significance of voice-first and multilingual technologies in enhancing accessibility. He stated that given India's diversity, AI systems must account for nuances in language, dialect, and context. A live demonstration of Bhashini’s transcription and translation capabilities during his address showcased how language AI can function effectively in real-time settings.
Discussing organizational strategies, the CEO remarked that the most significant hurdles were rarely related to the models themselves, but rather to market, incentive, and ecosystem design. He highlighted the importance of community participation through initiatives like 'Bhashadan' and the value of rapid experimentation and feedback loops to align research with practical needs.
He underscored that organizations working with emerging technologies must foster a culture of collaboration, brainstorming, and partnership. He encouraged students to look beyond individual applications and focus on building platforms and standards that can create network effects within a larger ecosystem.
The Digital India Bhashini Division, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, serves as India's national platform for AI-based multilingual inclusion. It supports over 800 government websites and processes millions of AI inferences daily, providing support for 36 Indian text languages and 23 voice languages to make digital public infrastructure more accessible.