Indian AI startup Sarvam has taken a significant step into the consumer artificial intelligence space with the launch of its Indus AI chatbot, now available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The company positions Indus as a homegrown alternative to global giants like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, bringing a focus on multilingual communication and India-centric design.
What Is Indus AI?
Indus AI is Sarvam’s AI assistant built using its 105-billion-parameter sovereign model, designed from the ground up in India. While smaller than some frontier global models, it is optimised for local relevance, cultural nuances, and communication in Indian languages. Users can switch languages — such as English to Hindi — mid-conversation without interrupting the flow of dialogue, a feature aimed at mirroring real conversational patterns in multilingual India.
In addition to chat, Indus supports voice interaction, allowing users to speak their queries naturally. The app also includes tools to process documents and responses based on uploaded files, expanding its use beyond simple Q&A functions.
Key Features at a Glance
- Multilingual support: Handles all Indian languages with smooth in-chat switching.
- Voice input and response: Users can interact using spoken language.
- Document processing: Upload PDFs or images for AI-assisted interpretation.
- India-first design: Built to respect linguistic and cultural contexts often overlooked by global apps.
- Beta rollout: Limited access with waitlist due to compute constraints; early feedback will shape future updates.
How It Stacks Up Against ChatGPT and Gemini
Indus AI enters a space long dominated by international platforms. Unlike ChatGPT and Gemini, which are designed for broad global usage, Indus focuses on India’s linguistic diversity and local task accuracy. Other Sarvam products — such as Sarvam Vision for OCR and Bulbul V3 for Indian-language text-to-speech — have already demonstrated competitive performance in specific benchmarks.
While ChatGPT and Gemini remain powerful for general reasoning and global knowledge, Indus’s strength lies in its cultural adaptation and language capabilities — a niche that could drive broader AI adoption among Indian users.
Availability and Next Steps
Indus AI is currently in its beta phase, with download options available for both iOS and Android users. A web version is live but may have limited access. Sarvam has encouraged user testing to gather early input that will help refine and expand features over time.
Overall, Indus AI represents a significant milestone in India’s sovereign AI efforts, signalling the country’s growing role in shaping generative AI that speaks directly to local needs and languages.
