Govt set to revamp IndiaAI Mission, higher outlay under discussion

The government is overhauling the IndiaAI Mission, reassessing priorities amid growing concerns over access to frontier artificial intelligence technologies and the strategic implications of relying on overseas providers, sources said.

The review comes against the backdrop of the recent decision by US authorities to suspend foreign access to Anthropic’s latest AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, a move that has intensified debate globally over sovereign AI capabilities and access to advanced technologies.

Officials said detailed consultations are underway with industry leaders, researchers and startups to redefine the mission’s objectives. While the current IndiaAI Mission has largely focused on building compute infrastructure and supporting the development of indigenous AI models, there is a growing feeling that the rapid proliferation of open-source models has altered the landscape.

“There are already tens of thousands of open-source models available globally and the number continues to grow rapidly. The question is no longer simply about creating another model. The focus is shifting towards building capabilities that ensure that our long-term interests are protected,” officials said.

According to them, discussions are now centred on four broad pillars – sovereignty, safety, talent and research – which are expected to form the basis of a revamped IndiaAI framework.

The sovereignty pillar is expected to focus on ensuring that critical AI infrastructure, datasets and strategic capabilities remain available to Indian users irrespective of geopolitical developments. The recent restrictions imposed on access to advanced AI systems have reinforced concerns that frontier technologies could increasingly become subject to national security considerations and export controls.

Safety is emerging as another key area as governments worldwide grapple with questions around AI governance, cybersecurity risks, model misuse and accountability. Officials said India intends to develop capabilities not only in deploying AI systems but also in evaluating, auditing and securing them.

The talent component is likely to focus on expanding the domestic pool of AI researchers, engineers and domain specialists through academia-industry collaboration, while the research pillar is expected to support long-term work in frontier technologies, including next-generation AI architectures, evaluation frameworks and specialised applications.

The ongoing review is also centering on discussions around funding requirements. The current IndiaAI Mission has an outlay of Rs 10,372 crore. However, multiple stakeholders have maintained that significantly larger investments will be required if India seeks to build meaningful capabilities across all four pillars.

Industry leaders have recently called for a more ambitious approach. Former Infosys CFO, Mohandas Pai has advocated the creation of a substantially larger national AI programme backed by annual investments of Rs 50,000 crore, while also calling for greater participation from industry and technology leaders. Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has similarly highlighted that recent developments underline the need for India to strengthen domestic and open-source AI ecosystems rather than depend entirely on foreign platforms.

Officials said that no final decisions have been taken on the revised structure or funding requirements. However, the assumptions underpinning AI policy are changing rapidly as frontier technologies increasingly intersect with geopolitics, national security and economic competitiveness.

“The world has moved beyond a conversation centred only on building models. The challenge now is ensuring access, trust, talent and long-term capability creation,” an official said.