DeepSeek R1 launch:
India can do a Mangalyaan in AI, should embrace this momentum, say experts
ISRO’s principles of cost-effective methods and innovation that encouraged self-reliance can be applied to AI.
Chinese Artificial Intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek’s R1 model holds lessons for India to develop the critical technology in cost-effective ways and without massive computational resources, researchers told The Indian Express.
“With the launch of the R1 model, India could do a Mangalyaan in AI,” said Gautam Shroff, Professor at IIIT-Delhi and former senior vice-president of Tata Consultancy Services and its head of research.
Researchers are of the view that although the US and China lead the AI race, India can certainly catch-up. “With the right focus, India can position itself as a strong contender in the global AI ecosystem. The open-sourcing of DeepSeek models is creating a ripple effect, triggering global competition and collaboration. India should embrace this momentum,” said Prof Mayank Vatsa, Professor of Computer Science at IIT-Jodhpur.
Like Shroff of IIIT-Delhi, Vatsa, who works on biometrics and computer vision, said India needs to follow the template set by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to usher in major AI advancements. “In the early days of India’s space program, we were considered outsiders — so much so that cartoons ridiculed our perceived deficiencies in space technology. Yet ISRO’s journey has proven otherwise, transforming India into a global leader in this domain through cost-effective, innovative methods that encouraged self-reliance and delivered wide-ranging social impact,” he said.
These same principles, Vatsa felt, could be applied to AI amidst the race to develop the technology. “We managed to reach Mars at a fraction of the cost of the developed nations. This is what is needed in AI as well, and with the latest developments we have a demonstration and even a starting point,” Shroff said.
The R1 model released last week has sent shock waves across the world — global tech stocks have tanked, the assistant that the model powers has become the most downloaded app on Apple Store, and Silicon Valley giants are spooked. The little-known company based in Hangzhou has built an AI model which can match the performance of its cutting-edge American rivals at a much lower cost and with limited resources.
“DeepSeek’s models show that necessity breeds innovation. When you are denied some technology, you figure out a way around it and do something smarter. Some of the engineering is quite ingenious,” Shroff said.
The R1 model was built with only around $6 million — OpenAI spent more than $100 million to train its GPT-4. DeepSeek’s model uses a “mixture of experts” approach, where multiple specialised sub-models work together to answer a question, instead of a single big model managing everything.
Vatsa said, “This allows for better performance and efficiency compared to a single large model. This approach has the potential to democratise access to advanced AI by reducing the computational resources required, enabling researchers in resource-constrained environments to participate more actively.”
However, researchers also said it was important to wait and watch how the model performs in the coming days as it has just been rolled out.
Shroff said, “The R1 model has beat the benchmark tests. But you have to see how they scale this for hundreds of people and commercialise. It is not just about creating AI but also about serving half-a-billion people every day
