No DeepSeek-like splash: India will showcase small AI, early startups at Summit starting tomorrow

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : Despite global attention, India’s artificial intelligence (AI) startups and policymakers do not expect a “DeepSeek moment" to emerge from New Delhi’s weeklong AI gala beginning tomorrow.

After initially pushing for DeepSeek-like large language models (LLMs) last year, the Centre has recalibrated its stance. The emphasis now is on building smaller AI models tailored for enterprise use cases.

Startups, too, say it is “too early" to unveil sweeping LLMs capable of competing with US and Chinese counterparts. The AI Impact Summit, scheduled in New Delhi from 16–20 February, will showcase a collection of early-stage, in-development AI models from startups backed by the Centre’s $1.2-billion India AI Mission, four industry executives and two officials aware of the plans told Mint.

On 30 January, Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a press briefing in New Delhi that “building large AI models, that require heavy capex, is not the only way to become a leading nation in AI." “In fact, most experts I spoke with at the World Economic Forum, as well as generally, said that small AI models of 20-50 billion parameters are good enough to serve enterprise AI use cases. At the upcoming AI Impact Summit, India will showcase a bouquet of AI models—of which such sovereign models will be a part," the minister added.

Vaishnaw also confirmed that India will showcase a "bouquet of models" during the Summit, without specifying their details. What India presents at its first marquee global AI event carries immense significance, especially after International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva said at the World Economic Forum in January that India was a “second grouping" nation