Soon, tell your smartphone to make UPI payments in your own language

financialexpress.com:

In a groundbreaking move toward linguistic inclusion, Bhashini, Indian government-backed AI language translation platform, is set to introduce voice-based services within the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). This innovative step aims to make UPI payments more accessible and user-friendly.

The new feature will allow users to perform various transactions, including checking bank balances, B2B transfers, electricity payments, and Fastag recharges, all through voice commands.

Amitabh Nag, CEO of Bhashini, highlighted the platform’s mission, stating, “We are looking to bridge the digital and literacy divide… it is important for us to facilitate transactions.” He emphasized the significance of initiatives like NPCI and the farmer bot for PM Kisan Yojana in achieving this goal.

This initiative aligns with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das’s announcement of the Hello! UPI initiative in September. Hello! UPI aims to enable voice-enabled UPI payments across various platforms, including apps, telecom calls, and IoT devices.

It serves as India’s AI-driven language translation platform, designed to provide easy access to the internet and digital services in Indian languages, including voice-based interactions. Moreover, Bhashini strives to make Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing (NLP) resources publicly available for use by Indian MSMEs, startups, and innovators.

During the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi, the Digital India Experience Zone showcased India’s digital transformation success. At the Bhashini exhibit, real-time speech-to-speech translation in multiple Indian languages and six UN languages was demonstrated, highlighting the platform’s advanced capabilities.

Prime