Meta's Yann LeCun Envisions India's Pivotal Role in Global AI Development

Yann LeCun Wants India to Make Local and Global AI Products

"Going forward, India has an important role to play, not just in technology and product development, not just for local products, but for international products and also for research," said Yann LeCun. "You guys are building the future here," Yann LeCun, the chief scientist of Meta AI, remarked as he photographed the crowd with his Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses at the Meta Build with AI Summit held in Bangalore on Wednesday. He was referring to India's talent pool working on open-source initiatives in India. LeCun highlighted how diverse contributions enhance the development of AI, noting that it has significantly impacted open-source initiatives in India driven by companies like Sarvam AI, AI4Bharat, and others. He said that while promoting open source serves Meta's interest, he was fascinated by how people were developing products that even Meta hadn't envisioned. "I see how people try to use the technology with good open-source data." He acknowledged the work of AI4Bharat, a research lab at IIT Madras which works on developing open-source datasets to use AI for Indic languages. "Going forward, India has an important role to play, not just in technology and product development, not just for local products, but for international products and also for research," adding that India is brimming with talent. He was quick to draw parallels to the establishment of FAIR Paris 10 years ago. "I think we can sort of use this blueprint to accelerate the progress of AI in India even further." The day before, LeCun visited IIT Madras and AI4Bharat, and was impressed by projects that focus on language translation and cultural preservation, such as IndicTrans2 and others - all thanks to Llama. "AI is going to help inspire," he remarked, particularly in regions with many languages and cultural complexities. Speaking at IIT Madras, LeCun highlighted that the current language models might seem like they are reasoning, but are, in fact, only carrying out intelligent retrieval, and are not the pathway to human-level intelligence. To reach the next level of AI -- what LeCun calls advanced machine intelligence or AMI, also known as "friend" in French -- we need systems that can truly help people in their daily lives. This involves developing systems that can understand cause and effect and model the physical world. LeCun used the example of a child who can figure out how to load a dishwasher on their first attempt -- something no AI has yet been able to achieve. We need systems that can learn and adapt to new tasks with common sense. This has been LeCun's vision for autonomous machine intelligence for the longest time. Following up on his long debate about LLMs, one of the key challenges that LeCun highlighted about current AI models is that even the most powerful ones have seen less data than a human child absorbs in the first few years of their life. "We need to train AI to understand the world by observing it, just like humans do. This requires new architectures that move beyond today's models." LeCun emphasised focusing on object-driven AI instead of prompt-based, as they would be able to solve problems that current AI models can't. "These systems will be able to plan actions and predict outcomes, and they'll do so while adhering to built-in safety measures, or 'guardrails'. This approach not only makes AI more powerful but also ensures it operates within safe boundaries," said LeCun. LeCun envisions AI as a shared infrastructure that democratises access to knowledge. He articulated a future where "the big frontier AI systems will not be produced by smaller companies... but will be trained in a distributed fashion". This approach would allow for localised data processing while maintaining a global consensus. "Open-source technology is crucial today and will become even more so in the future. This is because AI is increasingly becoming a shared infrastructure that can be used globally," LeCun said and added that for AI to reach its full potential, it needs to serve as a repository of human knowledge. While we're attempting to achieve this now, we're limited by a lack of diverse data in terms of languages, cultures, values, and interests. Left to right: Tanuj Bhojwani, Yann LeCun, and Nandan Nilekani While speaking at the panel with Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and head of People+ai Tanuj Bhojwani, LeCun shared the idea of building India as the AI use case capital of the world. Nilekani said, "We think that we can build on top of digital public infrastructure." He said this is providing the foundation to go to AI much more rapidly, a concept he previously referred to as "DPI to the power of AI'. Centralising all this data isn't feasible, nor would it fully represent the vast range of human knowledge. LeCun underscored the importance of collaboration among governments, industries, and researchers to establish the necessary infrastructure for this vision. "There's a lot of work to do," he acknowledged, stressing the need to empower individuals, especially in underserved areas. Even if we could access the necessary data, fine-tuning these AI systems would require input from people with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. No single organisation or country can do this alone; it must be a collective global effort. In this sense, AI development needs to be transparent and decentralised. India will need to invest in infrastructure, expertise, and policies that support such a decentralised approach to AI. Rather than seeing it as a threat to sovereignty, this would enable true global sovereignty over knowledge and technology. "I see a future where we'll all have smart glasses or devices that allow us to interact with AI assistants," said LeCun. These systems could eventually be smarter than us, but LeCun said that we shouldn't see that as threatening. Instead, it's empowering -- like having a team of experts at our disposal. Everyone, not just people in tech or academia, should have access to these tools. "Imagine rural communities in India being able to ask questions in their own languages, improving sectors like agriculture and healthcare. This kind of future would bring significant positive changes," added LeCun.

Everyone in India Can Ask AI Assistants Questions About Health Issues, Says Meta Official: Report

Paris as a model for inspiring innovation in the AI ecosystem. At Meta's inaugural Build with AI Summit in India, the company's chief AI scientist reportedly emphasised that artificial intelligence (AI) is set to enhance, not replace, human intelligence. "AI is not going to take over us; it is only going to amplify human intelligence," said Yann LeCun, vice president and chief AI scientist at Meta, on Wednesday, according to a PTI report. Also Read: Meta Unveils New AI Models and Tools to Drive Innovation Speaking on Wednesday, LeCun likened the future of AI to everyone having "a staff of smart people working for them," underscoring that AI should be viewed as an empowering tool. "AI assistants will eventually be smarter than us, but we should not feel threatened by that. We should feel empowered by it. It's kind of like everyone would walk around with a staff of smart people working for them. There is nothing better than working with people smarter than you, right?" said LeCun in his keynote address, according to the report. LeCun noted the transformative potential of AI, especially in rural areas, where individuals will be able to interact with AI assistants in their native languages to access knowledge and healthcare information. "It's not just people like us in the tech community or in academia; it's going to be everyone. Everyone in India, even in rural areas, can ask questions of their AI assistants in their own language or about health issues, whatever. And it's a very different future that will become possible," the report quoted LeCun as saying. He also reportedly highlighted the growing significance of open-source AI, which he believes will become a shared infrastructure for all. "Because AI is going to become a common infrastructure that all of us can use in the future and share. We need AI systems in the future to become a kind of repository of all human knowledge," LeCun stated, according to the report. Furthermore, according to the report, LeCun pointed out the positive impact of AI research on the entire ecosystem, citing Paris as a model for how AI initiatives can inspire innovation and career opportunities. "It gives a career perspective for young people. Like ten years ago, the AI research started in Paris had the effect of basically just completely jump-starting the ecosystem of AI in the country. Paris is now probably the second most vibrant place for AI startups in the world," he added, as reported. Also Read: Meta AI Expands to 21 New Countries, Including the UK and Brazil "The effect has been psychological. And that, in turn, had a huge effect in practice. So, the first effect is that when you have an industry practising ambitious research in AI in a country, it gives hope for young people to contribute to it," the report quoted LeCun as saying. According to the report, LeCun acknowledged India's rapid advancement in AI technology and its important role in future developments, stating, "There is a lot of talent in India. We see many people from India making major contributions -- both technical and scientific -- to AI." The summit also featured Infosys Co-founder Nandan Nilekani contextualising AI for India. Additionally, it included a panel discussion on the 'culture of open science in democratising AI,' featuring LeCun and Nandan Nilekani

Meta showcases open-source AI solutions for India at Build with AI Summit

Meta hosted the Build with AI Summit in Bengaluru this past Wednesday, emphasizing India's digital ecosystem's capacity to lead in AI adoption across various sectors. The company highlights the pivotal role of open-source AI models in this growth, enabling developers, educational institutions, government agencies, and enterprises to craft cost-effective, scalable solutions tailored to India's unique challenges. In preparation for the summit, Meta organized an AI Hackathon designed to empower developers utilizing the Meta Llama open platform. The event garnered over 1,500 registrations, yielding more than 350 proposals from over 90 participating teams. The winners included CurePharmaAI, CivicFix, and evAIssment, with a special mention for SheBuilds, an all-women team. Participants were also invited to apply for Llama Impact Grants, offering funding opportunities ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 for regional and global projects. Meta noted that its open-source AI models, such as Llama 3.1, empower Indian developers to address local challenges in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and governance. This democratization enhances technology accessibility across India. A prime example is KissanAI's Dhenu Llama 3, an AI model tailored for farmers, built on the Llama 3 8B architecture. It is optimized for agricultural tasks, supports voice and text inputs, integrates with WhatsApp, and is available in 22 languages, including nine Indian languages. Meta emphasizes its collaboration with government agencies to improve public services through open-source AI. Recently, they partnered with the Andhra Pradesh state government to enhance service delivery via WhatsApp Business Solutions and Llama models, facilitating seamless communication between citizens and the government. Moreover, Meta is working with the Telangana state government to optimize public service processes. They have also teamed up with IndiaAI and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to advance AI research and are collaborating with NLSIU and IIT Bombay on a project with the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) to develop a citizen-centric chatbot and decision-assist tools for consumer law. With India's rapidly growing youth population, education and skills training are crucial for economic potential. Meta's Skill AI Chatbot, developed with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), provides AI-driven educational resources, job listings, and access to skilling centers in multiple languages. Meta's open-source models support initiatives like Arivihan, India's first fully automated online learning platform, which uses Llama models to create personalized lecture scripts and address over 100,000 student queries, thereby democratizing education. Collaborations with organizations like AI4Bharat and startups such as Sarvam AI focus on developing AI solutions for Indic languages, enabling rural students to access resources in their native languages. Furthermore, the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants assist startups in creating economically and socially beneficial AI solutions, with Wadhwani AI being globally recognized for enhancing its oral reading fluency assessment tool using Llama 3. Businesses in India, from startups to large corporations, are increasingly adopting AI to improve operations and customer engagement. Meta's AI models offer customizable tools that help these businesses stay competitive globally. Partnerships with major companies like Infosys and PwC India showcase the integration of open-source AI into enterprise solutions. Infosys is utilizing Meta's Llama stack to bolster AI adoption and has established a Meta Center of Excellence (CoE) to promote industry-specific use cases and encourage open-source contributions. Meta highlighted various ways AI positively impacts India's digital economy: Meta has introduced initiatives like the No Language Left Behind model, enabling high-quality translations across 200 languages, including 25 Indian languages. Other initiatives include the Massively Multilingual Speech model and SeamlessM4T, enhancing accessibility and communication. Research collaborations are also thriving: Meta highlighted India's pivotal role in the global transformation driven by AI, asserting that their solutions are accessible, inclusive, and adaptable to the country's diverse needs. The company remains committed to fostering India's emergence as a global AI leader by collaborating with governments and stakeholders to create an equitable ecosystem that promotes progress and inclusivity for all. Speaking at the event, Yann LeCun, VP and Chief AI Scientist at Meta, stated, Meta's vision for AI is closely linked to the principles of open-source, enabling us to leverage a global pool of creativity and innovation. The open-source community continually surprises us with breakthroughs, from inference optimization to advancements in natural language processing. Our aim is to develop AI systems that empower individuals and drive societal transformation, creating a shared AI infrastructure that reflects the world's diversity in languages, cultures, and values. India possesses immense potential in shaping the future of AI, not only in product development but also in cutting-edge research. With its rich talent pool and dynamic tech ecosystem, India is already making significant strides. The country's contributions to AI, especially in natural language understanding, are crucial for advancing technologies that cater to diverse populations. As AI evolves, India is well-positioned to play a vital role in driving global innovation. Speaking about India's role in AI, Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President and Head of Meta India, said,

AI is not going to take over us, says Meta's top official

According to Yann LeCun, vice president and chief AI scientist at Meta, everybody is going to be smarter because of that. "It's not just people like us in the tech community or in academia. It's going to be everyone. Everyone in India, even in rural areas, can ask questions to their AI assistants in their own language or for health issues, whatever. And it's a very different future that will become possible," he added.Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not going to take over us, it is only going to amplify human intelligence, said Yann LeCun, vice president and chief AI scientist at Meta on Wednesday. Social media giant Meta's first Build with AI Summit in India was held here to discuss AI's transformative role in shaping the future of humankind. "AI assistants will eventually be smarter than us, but we should not feel threatened by that. We should feel empowered by it. It's kind of like everybody would walk around with a staff of smart people working for them. There is nothing better than working with people smarter than you, right?" said LeCun in his keynote address. According to him, everybody is going to be smarter because of that. "It's not just people like us in the tech community or in academia. It's going to be everyone. Everyone in India, even in rural areas, can ask questions to their AI assistants in their own language or for health issues, whatever. And it's a very different future that will become possible," he added. He also talked about how open source is not just important today, it is also going to get more important in the future. "Because AI is going to become a common infrastructure that all of us can use in the future and share. We need AI systems in the future to become a kind of repository of all human knowledge," said LeCun. LeCun also said AI research also enables an entire ecosystem. "It gives a career perspective for young people. Like 10 years ago, the AI research started in Paris had the effect of basically just completely jump-starting the ecosystem of AI in the country. Paris is now probably the second most vibrant place for AI startups in the world," he added. Bengaluru is also not far behind in the race to master AI technology and is progressing quickly, added LeCun. "The effect has been psychological. And that, in turn, had a huge effect in practice. So, the first effect is that when you have an industry practicing ambitious research in AI in a country, it gives hope for young people to contribute to it," he said. According to him, India, going forward, has an important role to play, not just in technology development and product development, not just for local products or international products, but also for research. "There is a lot of talent in India. We see a lot of people from India making major contributions, technical and scientific contributions to AI," he added. The summit also saw Infosys Co-founder Nandan Nilekani contextualising AI for India. During the course of the day, a panel discussion on 'culture of open science in democratising AI', featuring both Nilekani and LeCun was held. Top three winners of the AI Hackathon with Meta Llama, which was held on October 19 and 20 in Bengaluru, were also handed over the awards by LeCun during the event.