In a significant move, Ola, the Indian ride-hailing giant, has introduced its indigenous large language model, Krutrim, aiming to dominate the local market and provide users with a unique AI experience. CEO Bhavish Aggarwal showcased Krutrim’s language prowess in Bengaluru, highlighting its ability to respond not only in English but also in 10 different Indian languages.
During a live demo, Aggarwal demonstrated Krutrim’s multilingual capabilities, effortlessly switching between languages such as Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. The key motivation behind developing a local chatbot, despite the presence of established players, lies in Aggarwal’s belief that foreign AI models lack an understanding of the intricacies and nuances of Indian languages and culture.
Krutrim has been meticulously crafted for Desi users, starting from the ground up and trained on an extensive dataset of 2 trillion tokens sourced locally. Aggarwal asserts that this approach results in an AI model that excels in comprehending contextual references and colloquial phrases specific to Indian languages.
Ola’s AI offerings come in two versions – Krutrim and Krutrim Pro. The base Krutrim model exhibits proficiency in 22 Indian languages and can generate responses in 10 languages, outperforming benchmarks for Indian-language understanding compared to models like GPT-4 and Llama. Similar to the latest versions of ChatGPT, Krutrim can accept voice input and respond in kind.
On the horizon, Krutrim Pro is positioned as a more potent, multi-modal model tailored for enterprise use, with Ola planning its launch in the next quarter.
Aggarwal emphasizes the need for homegrown AI solutions tailored to India’s unique needs. Krutrim’s development follows an India-first approach, ensuring high local relevance at budget-friendly pricing. Starting next month, individuals can sign up on the Krutrim website to access the basic chatbot, with Ola set to release Krutrim APIs in February, allowing companies and developers to seamlessly integrate them into their products and services.
