About ten years ago, Tanuj Bhojwani was ahead of his time, trying to build a drone-based service startup. Unfortunately, due to regulatory hurdles and skepticism, the startup folded. Fast forward to today, Bhojwani finds himself at the forefront of a much larger vision, driving the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in India with his latest venture, People+ai.
A Shift in Focus: From Drones to Digital Public Infrastructure
Bhojwani’s experience with his drone startup led him to reflect on the challenges of aligning private enterprise with public policy. Around 2016, through his professional networks, he connected with a growing ecosystem of public-private collaborations, notably India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). DPI encompasses massive platforms like Aadhaar, UPI, and e-KYC, all designed to support India’s large population by integrating technology into public services.
Through this involvement, Bhojwani gained firsthand experience in population-scale tech solutions, learning how government and public policy could be powerful catalysts for innovation, far beyond the venture capital-driven startup world.
Enter People+ai: A New Vision for AI in India
In June 2023, Bhojwani launched People+ai with the backing of the EkStep Foundation, founded by Nandan Nilekani and his wife, philanthropist Rohini Nilekani. The organization’s goal is simple yet ambitious: to find AI-based solutions that work at a population scale and bring them to the masses.
At the heart of People+ai is the belief that artificial intelligence, like other DPI initiatives, can have a profound impact on the everyday lives of Indians. However, unlike many tech incubators that offer funding in exchange for equity, People+ai provides something different—an extensive support network for innovators, guiding them toward building AI solutions with societal benefits.
Bhojwani explains, “We are like an incubator of population-scale AI ideas, but we’re not giving money and taking equity. What we are giving is a support network to help these people grow.”
Defining the Future: What Will Be the “UPI of AI”?
A pivotal moment for People+ai came in April 2023, when several DPI pioneers gathered in Bengaluru to discuss what generative AI could mean for India. The consensus was clear—just as UPI revolutionized financial inclusion in India, AI needed its own DPI to reach the masses. This led to a fundamental question: What is the UPI of AI?
The answer is still being shaped, but the groundwork is being laid. People+ai’s mission has four main objectives:
- Identify AI Use Cases: Finding applications of AI that benefit millions of Indians.
- Build Infrastructure: Developing the technological infrastructure to scale these solutions.
- Create Collaborative Communities: Fostering collaboration across diverse backgrounds to develop AI solutions.
- Cheerleading and Storytelling: Promoting AI solutions that improve lives, spreading the word to increase adoption and support.
Projects in Action: Jan Ki Baat, Sthaan, and Open Cloud Compute
People+ai has already started working on several impactful projects. One such initiative, Jan Ki Baat (People’s Voice), is developing an AI bot that can interact with citizens in their native language, helping them navigate government services and providing feedback on their experiences. The bot can ask questions like, “Did you understand the benefits of this government scheme? Did you have to pay a bribe?” The data gathered is analyzed using AI to improve service delivery.
Another project, Sthaan, aims to solve a uniquely Indian problem—many people in the country don’t have formal addresses. Sthaan is developing an AI-powered solution that assigns user-friendly identifiers to individuals, making it easier to locate and serve them.
One of the most critical projects in the People+ai ecosystem is Open Cloud Compute (OCC). This initiative focuses on providing affordable and accessible computing resources to anyone looking to develop AI solutions. By creating a decentralized network of micro data centers across the country, People+ai aims to support AI innovation in rural and underserved areas.
The Case for Micro Data Centers
The idea of micro data centers is particularly exciting. As AI continues to evolve, there’s a growing need for compute infrastructure that can support these applications. OCC addresses this challenge by making computing power accessible even in small towns and villages. These micro data centers can be powered by renewable energy sources like solar, allowing for sustainable, low-cost infrastructure.
By building this network of micro data centers, People+ai is not only decentralizing AI resources but also ensuring that smaller players in the cloud computing market can compete with larger, global providers. In the near future, OCC aims to create a robust grid of these centers, helping to foster AI development at a local level.
AI for All: A Democratic Approach to Technology
Bhojwani’s People+ai is grounded in the philosophy that AI should not be exclusive to tech giants or developed nations. By creating standards, tools, and protocols that are accessible to everyone—especially startups—People+ai aims to democratize AI in India.
Through initiatives like Jan Ki Baat, Sthaan, and Open Cloud Compute, the organization is tackling the most pressing issues India faces, from improving government services to providing computing power in rural areas.
In Bhojwani’s words, “What we are asking for in return is, hey, please remember this and pay it forward.”
The Future of AI in India
With People+ai, Bhojwani is making strides toward ensuring that AI benefits all Indians, not just a privileged few. The organization is laying the groundwork for an AI-powered future where technology solves real-world problems at a population scale, much like UPI transformed payments in India.
As AI continues to grow in importance, Bhojwani’s vision, backed by Nilekani’s DPI framework, positions People+ai as a pioneering force in the Indian AI landscape.
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