Future of the Commons: A Conversation on Artificial Intelligence, Indian Languages, and Archives Conference Report

Organized by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bengaluru, and MKCL, the conference explored the development of localized or Indic generative AI models, state of digital commons, and the role of public institutions such as archives and digitization movements. It featured a mix of panel discussions, roundtables, and workshops, providing a platform for policymakers, civil society organizations, academia, researchers, technologists, archivists, and creative practitioners to exchange views and collaborate. The keynote address by P. Sainath, founder of the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), dwelled on the importance of digitization and archives in India. He emphasized the role of human translators in maintaining the authenticity of stories and the socio-political implications of digitalization on low-resource languages.

The themes discussed at the conference included:

• Ongoing Efforts and Innovations in AI:
  Current state of research and development of localized generative AI systems.
  Use-cases of generative AI products in Indian languages.
  Challenges with the availability of training datasets and dependency on big tech.
  Open-source development of generative AI models.

Development and Use of Digital Commons:

• Digitizing, preserving, and using knowledge and cultural heritage for training AI models.
  Practices and challenges in archives and digitization movements, especially in Indian languages.
  Role of open knowledge movements and GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) institutions.

Future of AI, including LLMs, in Indian Languages:

• Designing AI systems that contribute to the digital commons.
  Incentivizing expansion, foregrounding diversity, and safeguarding digital commons.
  Role of law, policy, ethics, and algorithmic justice.

The conference concluded with participants emphasizing the need for multidisciplinary collaboration, fostering trust in AI applications, and importance of democratization of technology and data.

We invite you to read the full report for a comprehensive view of the discussions and recommendations that emerged.

If you would like to participate in further discussions on this topic, please write to us at anubha@cis-india.org.