In a recent event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to talk to a Tamil-speaking audience, bypassing the language barrier. He used Bhashini, an AI-based translation tool, during a speech at the cultural festival Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi.
Bhashini, also known as BHASa INterface for India or Digital India Bhashini, is an AI-driven language translation tool. Launched by PM Modi in July last year. It is a particularly helpful tool for a country that has a massive diversity of languages.
The tool was used to translate PM Modi’s speech into Tamil in real-time. “Today, the use of new technology has taken place here through Artificial Intelligence. This is a new beginning and hopefully, it makes it easier for me to reach you,” PM Modi said during his address.
Bhashini enables people to speak in their own language while communicating with speakers of other Indian languages. Its aim is to facilitate convenient translation services in Indian languages, incorporating voice-based access, and expanding the use of vernacular languages.
This online platform also has a separate ‘Bhasha Daan’ section which allows individuals to contribute to multiple crowdsourcing initiatives. It is also accessible via respective Android and iOS apps.
What is Bhashini?
The use cases and functionality were explained by Bhashini’s Chief Executive Officer, Amitabh Nag, to Business Today’s Sakshi at the Digitial India Experience Zone during the G20 Summit. He claimed that it provides a variety of translation services, including automatic speech recognition in 12 to 14 languages, text translation in 22 languages, and speech synthesis in 14 languages.
“Bhashini provides all translation-related services,” says Nag. “One of our demonstrated use cases is speech-to-speech translation. For instance, if I speak in English and you want to hear it in Hindi, the platform can translate it in real-time.”
The platform also includes an app, Jugalbandi, which can recognise spoken questions and provide answers using generative AI. This feature is particularly useful for individuals who may not be digitally literate or able to read.
“Our generation is often overwhelmed with information,” Nag explains. “Bhashini can provide quick, reasoned responses to specific questions and answers on particular subjects. It goes beyond traditional search facilities by intelligently answering your questions and taking you to the next level of information availability.”
While the current version of Bhashini focuses on specific topics, Nag reveals that they are developing various versions that will include other topics and information. “I don’t want to preempt the announcements from our partner organizations who are working on it, but you will soon see those announcements,” he adds.
The Bhashini app is currently available for download in a beta version on both iOS and Google Play Store.
Watch the interaction here: What Is Bhashini And How It Can Bridge The Gap Between Indian languages
Also read: You can now create your own AI songs with Microsoft’s AI chatbot Copilot; here’s how
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