Trust, but verify: Rethinking our reliance on AI
In an era where large language models dazzle us with fluency, confident reasoning, and near-human responses, Prof. Manish Shrivastava urges caution by pulling back the curtain on AI’s “illusion of reasoning,” and makes a compelling case for smarter data, smaller models, and a more thoughtful future for AI, especially in the Indian context. Prof. Manish Shrivastava’s research philosophy can be best described with two ‘Rs’: “R for research and R for rabbit holes.” Explaining that there are three types of research, the goal-oriented kind which is focused and socially impactful, the opportunistic kind which jumps into emerging gaps in a field and the exploratory type, driven by intellectual curiosity, Prof. Shrivastava elaborates that most of his work falls into the third category. It’s these rabbit holes that have led him deep into one of today’s most urgent questions: Are large language models (LLMs) actually doing what we think they are? Anybody who is using an large language model (LLM) treats it as an intelligent entity. But for Prof. Shrivastava, it is “facts plus language”.
Call for sovereign AI models in India
At the recent Business Standard Manthan Summit in New Delhi, experts underscored the urgent need for India to build its own sovereign foundational AI models and strengthen data sovereignty to reduce dependency on foreign platforms and technologies. The panel included Dr. S K Shukla, Director IIIT-H along with representatives from Mozilla and the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Dr. Shukla emphasised that AI should evolve into a digital public infrastructure, serving as a base for sector-specific and organisation-level models, rather than relying on proprietary systems like ChatGPT or Gemini trained on Indian data. The discussions also highlighted India’s demographic and linguistic diversity as a key strength that, when harnessed, can benefit AI solutions across the Global South. Panelists noted that achieving AI sovereignty requires coordinated efforts across policy, research, industry, and skills development, alongside investments in computer infrastructure, multilingual capabilities, and strategic partnerships.
BharatGen and Sampige sign MoU
Sampige Semiconductors pvt., founded by semiconductor entrepreneur Parag Naik, signed a MoU with BharatGen Technology Foundation to advance India’s sovereign AI ecosystem through co-development of India-centric AI semiconductor chipsets, hardware-aware models, and a unified software stack under the Make in India framework. The MoU was signed in the presence of Principal Scientific Advisor to the Govt of India, Dr Ajay Kr Sood, and Dr Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary at the Office of PSA. Also present were Parag Naik, CEO of Sampige, Rishi Bal, CEO of BharatGen, Prof. G Ramakrishnan, Founding Board member, BharatGen and Institute Chair Professor, IITB, Bharatgen consortium members Prof. Priyesh Shukla from IIIT-H, and Vice President of Bharatgen, Pankaj Singh. BharatGen Technology Foundation led by IITB, it brings together a consortium of India’s top academic institutions IITK, IITM, IIT KGP, IITH, IIIT Hyderabad, IIT Mandi, IIM Indore and IIITD to collectively push the boundaries of generative AI and build a thriving, India-centric AI ecosystem.
AI era education manifesto at IIIT-H
Even as AI becomes ubiquitous in our lives, there are significant concerns and fears about the possible futures. Seeking to allay such fears especially in the context of education, Prof. Raj Reddy, founding chairman of IIIT-H and Turing award winner addressed IIIT-H faculty and called out for a manifesto for education in the AI era. What happens to education when every student carries an “Einstein in your pocket”? That was the provocative starting point of Dr. Raj Reddy’s wide-ranging and deeply thought-provoking address to the faculty. With characteristic clarity, he laid out a future in which AI is not just a tool, but a constant intellectual companion, reshaping what we teach, how we teach, and even why we teach. “The current dogma,” he began, “is that AI will change education as we know it. There won’t be a need for professors. There won’t be a need for teachers. There won’t be a need for classrooms.” add that he does not believe classrooms will vanish overnight but admitted that change is inevitable. The real question, he argued, is how institutions prepare for that transition.
Salary obsession distorts engineering education
Every year, we come across headlines showcasing graduates from top engineering institutes landing high salary packages. Over time, these remunerations have become the primary metric by which people measure success. Prof. S KShukla, Director, IIIT-H says this obsession on high salaries may distort the country’s long-term prospects, as many of the brightest minds in the country continue to focus on higher salaries from foreign multinational corporations. He adds that Indian technical education is now at a crucial turning point. With rapid advancement of AI and shifting global dynamics, Prof. Shukla believes the system needs a fundamental reset. Moving beyond the MNC service mindset is not merely a career choice but essential for India’s long-term economic resilience and for giving graduates sustainable and meaningful career paths. Prof. Shukla explains that to navigate this new era, India must address shifting student values, re-evaluate the gap between education and skilling, and reform an academic ecosystem that has long prioritised foreign publications over solving local problems.
Prof. Dipti Misra Sharma on Bhashini and AI
Bhashini (BHASHa INterface for India) is a national AI language translation platform under the National Language Translation Mission (NLTM), spearheaded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The initiative aims to bring all 22 scheduled Indian languages into the digital ecosystem. Its primary objective is to make AI-driven platforms accessible in every Indian language. While many implementations are already visible across websites, Bhashini extends beyond basic use cases into sectors such as law, agriculture, governance, and e-governance, which require domain-specific terminology and solutions. Prof. Dipti Misra Sharma, Professor of Linguistics and Head of the Department of Language Technologies at IIIT Hyderabad, said: “About 12 institutions across India have been associated with this project for four years now. Some of the basic models already existed, but the quality of translation was not satisfactory. Bhashini is unique due to its scope — unlike general-purpose large language models, here each language is given richer, more focused data.”
Solvathon 2026 – Smart Med-Tech Ideas to Heal the Future
A slew of innovative tech-based smart solutions emerged from Solvathon 2026, India’s premier HealthTech Innovation Challenge. With International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship collaborating as innovation partner with Apollo Research and Innovations (ARI) and Transforming Healthcare with IT (THIT), the 3-day hackathon saw medical and tech-centric experts grapple with real-world healthcare challenges. Healthcare and specifically eldercare has raced to the top of the householder’s budgeting portfolio along with your child’s orthodontic treatment and university education, making it an issue that affects everyone, from cradle to grave. Thus, when stakeholders in medico-tech (students, researchers, startups, clinicians, and technologists) came together at Solvathon 2026 between January 30 – February 1 at HICC to dig deep and unravel real-world healthcare challenges, it was a timely response to an unfolding emergency.
Keeping an AI on every truck: IIIT Hyderabad’s smart approach to sand mining enforcement
When commercial number plate systems failed to handle India’s hand-painted truck plates, International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad’s iHub-Data adapted lab research into Vahan Eye – a low-cost, field-deployed solution now monitoring sand transport in Telangana. ‘Truck art’ or the hand-painted ‘Horn Ok Please’, ‘Use Dipper at Night’ and the ‘Buri nazar waale tera mooh kala’ are an integral part of Indian highways. These artistic expressions which lighten up many a road journey also find an extension in hand painted registration plates. However, such unstandardised lettering can prove to be a challenge for automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems. Most commercial ANPR systems are designed for standardized license plates. ANPR systems play a crucial role in modern governance, helping authorities monitor traffic, enforce regulations, prevent illegal transport, and improve public safety. From toll booths to traffic violations, ANPR enables real-time vehicle tracking without manual checks.
Early Cancer Detection with AI and Genetic Insights
Cancer is no longer seen as a single genetic error but as a complex, multi-layered disease shaped by DNA mutations, epigenetic changes and even patterns in medical images. New research at CCNSB at IIIT Hyderabad is bringing these layers together to move closer to early detection and truly personalised cancer care. A century ago, scientists believed cancer began with a single mistake in a cell. In 1914, the somatic mutation theory proposed that abnormalities in a cell’s DNA could trigger uncontrolled growth. Over time, this idea expanded. Researchers discovered oncogenes that drive cancer and tumour suppressor genes that normally prevent it. Later theories showed that cancer does not arise from rogue cells alone – the surrounding tissue environment, viruses, carcinogens, and cellular stress also play critical roles. “People have been talking about the origin of tumours since the early 1900s, but over time we realised that cancer cannot be explained by mutations alone. Today, cancer is understood as a multifactorial disease, shaped by genetics, gene regulation, environment and time,” observes Prof. Nita Parekh, Professor of Bioinformatics, IIIT-H.
From Silicon to Society: IIIT-H advances chip design for healthcare and mobility
At a time when India is strengthening its semiconductor ambitions, IIIT-H’s researchers are developing indigenous electronics – from custom chip design and millimetre-wave circuits to privacy-preserving sensing and intelligent healthcare systems – that move seamlessly from the lab to real-world deployment. In an age where governance, healthcare and mobility increasingly rely on data, how that data is sensed, processed and protected matters deeply. Visual dashboards, spatial maps and intelligent systems have become essential tools for decision-making, but behind every such system lies something less visible and far more fundamental: electronics. At IIIT-H, the Integrated Circuits – Inspired by Wireless and Biomedical Systems, IC-WiBES research group led by Prof. Abhishek Srivastava, is rethinking how electronic systems are designed; not as isolated chips, but as end-to-end technologies that move seamlessly from silicon to real-world deployment. The group follows a simple but powerful philosophy: vertical integration from chip design to system-level applications.