All you need to know about Hanooman: India’s own GPT

Aditya Raghuvanshi
4 min readMar 26, 2024

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Introduction

In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), a new contender has emerged from the heart of India, poised to revolutionize the way we interact with technology. Introducing Hanooman, a pioneering large language model (LLM) developed through an unprecedented collaboration between Reliance Industries Ltd and nine prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), spearheaded by IIT Bombay.

Named after the revered Hindu deity Hanuman, known for his strength and devotion, Hanooman represents India’s ambitious foray into the realm of transformative AI. This groundbreaking initiative aims to address the challenges of AI development head-on, propelling India into a leadership position on the global AI stage.

Linguistic Diversity just like INDIA

At the core of Hanooman lies a powerful language model trained on a massive corpus of 22 Indian languages, initially covering 11 languages with plans to expand to all 22 official tongues. This linguistic diversity is a defining feature of Hanooman, setting it apart from its global counterparts and paving the way for a more inclusive AI experience tailored to India’s rich cultural tapestry.

Multifaceted Solutions Across Sectors

Hanooman’s capabilities extend far beyond mere translation, transcending the boundaries of language to offer a multitude of services across various sectors:

  • Healthcare: Empowering patients with medical information and facilitating communication with providers in native languages.
  • Governance: Enhancing citizen engagement and improving access to government services through multilingual interfaces.
  • Financial Services: Making financial products and information more accessible to a wider audience.
  • Education: Delivering personalized learning experiences and improving educational content delivery.

Yes ! Its Multimodal

ALL IN ONE ( Text, Audio, Video)

Hanooman’s capabilities extend beyond language processing, boasting multimodal AI capabilities that enable it to generate and comprehend text, speech, and video content seamlessly. This versatility opens up a wide range of applications, allowing Hanooman to transcend traditional boundaries and cater to diverse needs across sectors.

Unmatched Scale and Complexity

One of the most remarkable aspects of Hanooman is its sheer scale and complexity. With parameter counts ranging from 1.5 billion to a staggering 40 billion, Hanooman stands as one of the largest language models ever developed in INDIA. This immense size and intricacy enable Hanooman to provide nuanced, contextually relevant responses in Indian languages, setting a new benchmark for AI-powered language processing.

Open-Source Innovation

Complementing Hanooman’s technological prowess is its commitment to accessibility and innovation. In a groundbreaking move, the model will be open-sourced, allowing developers and researchers to leverage its capabilities and contribute to its further development. This collaborative approach not only fosters innovation but also ensures that the benefits of Hanooman are widely accessible, aligning with India’s vision of promoting inclusive technological growth.

Competitive Landscape

While the Indian AI landscape is blossoming, with startups like Sarvam and Krutrim also developing open-source AI models, Hanooman’s backing by a major conglomerate like Reliance Industries, coupled with its focus on user-friendliness and customization, positions it as a formidable force in the ongoing global race for transformative AI technology.

Customized Solutions and Future Prospects

As Hanooman prepares for its highly anticipated debut, it symbolizes a new era of AI innovation in India, characterized by inclusivity, empowerment, and a relentless pursuit of technological excellence. With its diverse applications, focus on linguistic inclusivity, and collaborative development approach, Hanooman promises to reshape various sectors and enhance accessibility for millions across the country.

In the words of Ganesh Ramakrishnan, Chair of IIT Bombay’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering, “Reliance Jio will make customized models for different uses” once Hanooman is successfully deployed. This commitment to tailored solutions underscores Hanooman’s potential to transcend traditional boundaries and deliver personalized AI experiences that cater to the unique needs of individuals and industries.

Paving the Way for an AI-Powered Future

As India embarks on this ambitious AI journey, Hanooman stands as a testament to the nation’s unwavering spirit of innovation and its commitment to harnessing the power of technology for the greater good. With the backing of industry giants like Reliance and the academic prowess of IITs, Hanooman represents a significant step towards realizing India’s vision of becoming a global AI powerhouse, propelling the country into a future where the transformative potential of AI is truly unleashed.

So, stay tuned as Hanooman paves the way for a brighter, more inclusive future powered by AI, a future where language barriers are transcended, knowledge is democratized, and the limitless possibilities of this revolutionary technology are realized.

I feel extremely happy sharing all this knowledge and do let me know if this article has helped you.

Thank you for reading, I hope this article helped you

Aditya Raghuvanshi ( IIIT Hyderabad, INDIA )

Connect me on the following :

Github | linkedin | Medium | Gmail : tanalpha.aditya@gmail.com

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Aditya Raghuvanshi

AI researcher | NLP and Speech processing | IIIT Hyderabad