Sarvam AI Faces Backlash: Unpacking India's AI Ambitions and the Sarvam-M Controversy

In May 2025, Indian AI startup Sarvam AI unveiled its multilingual large language model (LLM), Sarvam-M, under the government's IndiaAI Mission. Despite the model's capabilities in supporting 10 Indian languages and applications in mathematics and programming, the launch received a lukewarm response, igniting discussions about India's readiness in the global AI arena. This article delves into the Sarvam-M controversy, exploring the factors behind the backlash and its implications for India's AI aspirations.

Sarvam AI Faces Backlash: Unpacking India's AI Ambitions and the Sarvam-M Controversy

The Launch of Sarvam-M: A Milestone for Indian AI

Overview of Sarvam-M

Sarvam-M is a 24-billion-parameter LLM developed by Bengaluru-based Sarvam AI. Built atop the open-source Mistral Small model, Sarvam-M is fine-tuned for Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, and Malayalam. The model aims to power applications such as conversational agents, translation systems, and educational tools .

Government Backing

Sarvam AI was the first startup selected under the IndiaAI Mission to develop a sovereign foundational model. The government provided support in the form of compute resources, including access to 4,000 GPUs for six months, to aid in the development and training of the AI model .

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The Backlash: Unmet Expectations and Criticisms

Tepid Reception

Despite the significant backing and the model's capabilities, Sarvam-M's launch saw only a few hundred downloads in the initial days. This lukewarm response raised questions about India's competitiveness in the global AI landscape .

Criticisms and Comparisons

Critics pointed out that Sarvam-M, being built on an existing open-source model, lacked originality. Comparisons were drawn with international models, such as those developed by OpenAI and DeepSeek, highlighting the gap between Indian and global AI developments .

Expert Opinions: Support and Skepticism

Industry Support

Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu defended Sarvam AI, stating, "No product was ever an instant hit," emphasizing the need for patience and continued development .

Calls for Realism

Some experts argued that the backlash stemmed from unrealistic expectations and a lack of understanding of the challenges in developing AI models tailored for India's diverse linguistic landscape.

Real-World Applications and Collaborations

UIDAI Partnership

Sarvam AI partnered with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to enhance user experience through AI-powered voice-based interactions and multilingual support for Aadhaar services.

Microsoft Collaboration

The startup collaborated with Microsoft to build an Indic voice LLM, aiming to enhance the accessibility of AI technologies tailored to Indian languages and dialects .

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

Market Readiness

The limited adoption of Sarvam-M highlights the challenges in achieving product-market fit in India's AI sector. Factors such as digital literacy, infrastructure, and user trust play crucial roles in the adoption of AI technologies .

Ethical Implications

Developing AI models that cater to India's diverse population raises ethical considerations, including data privacy, bias, and inclusivity. Ensuring that AI systems are transparent and accountable is essential for building user trust.

Conclusion

The Sarvam-M controversy underscores the complexities of developing and deploying AI technologies in a diverse and rapidly evolving landscape like India. While the backlash highlights areas for improvement, it also serves as a reminder of the importance of setting realistic expectations and fostering an environment that supports innovation and growth.

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