Sansad TV

Perspective: Preserving Culture & Language Through AI | 12 February, 2026

Sansad Tv

India is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. As per the 2011 census, we have 22 Scheduled languages, 99 Non-Scheduled languages, and thousands of mother tongues and tribal dialects across multiple language families. Each language is not merely a medium of communication, but a repository of knowledge, identity and worldview.

Recognising that this heritage is both our inheritance and our strength, the government has launched sustained institutional, educational and digital initiatives to preserve and promote it. At the heart of this effort is the democratisation of technology — ensuring that AI serves people in the languages and formats they understand and trust.

Through emerging digital public infrastructure for languages — including platforms such as BHASHINI, Anuvadini, Gyan Bharatam and Adi Vaani — India is building systems that enable translation, voice recognition, manuscript digitisation, knowledge access and the inclusion of tribal and endangered languages.

AI tools are today being used to digitise fragile manuscripts, translate academic and classical texts, document oral histories, and bring indigenous knowledge into contemporary digital ecosystems.

In essence, these measures are aimed at bridging the gaps between heritage and people, between tradition and technology, between the past and the future.

It reflects India’s broader vision of AI as a force for global good — technology that serves humanity, protects diversity, and strengthens inclusion.

But how transformative are these initiatives? How far can AI go in preserving languages and cultural memory? And what challenges remain in ensuring that technology remains inclusive, ethical and accessible?

We’ll explore some of these aspects and more on this special broadcast.

Guests: