SML founder Vishnu Vardhan says Hanooman AI is not backed by Reliance

SML focuses primarily on healthcare and education, addressing challenges faced by doctors through automatic speech summarization and aiding rural students with homework.

Digital Desk: Seetha Mahalaxmi Healthcare (SML) has introduced 'Hanooman,' India's inaugural AI multimodal series, developed in collaboration with IIT-Bombay. Unveiled at the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum in Mumbai, the series pays homage to the ethical framework inspired by the Hindu deity Hanuman, symbolizing responsible power.

Named after Hanuman, known for wielding power responsibly, Vishnu Vardhan, founder of SML and Vizzhy, emphasised the model's ethical considerations during an exclusive interview. The Hanooman series comprises open-source models with parameters ranging from 1.5 billion to 40 billion. 

Vardhan stated that these models are slated for release by the end of the month, with rigorous testing conducted by researchers, academicians, and professors to ensure reliability.

Hanooman's uniqueness lies in its multimodal capabilities, enabling communication in 11 languages initially, with plans to extend support to all 22 official languages of India. Unlike other models, Vardhan expressed a desire to avoid the 'I'm God and I know everything' syndrome, emphasising specific use cases. 

SML focuses primarily on healthcare and education, addressing challenges faced by doctors through automatic speech summarization and aiding rural students with homework.

Analytics India Magazine reports, Contrary to media speculation, Vardhan clarified that Hanooman is not backed by Reliance Jio Infocomm. SML has not raised external funding, relying on internal funding to develop the model. 

Vardhan praised Indian hardware players, including Yotta, highlighting plans to scale up from 1000 to 10,000 GPUs in 2024. The company also intends to introduce closed-source models for enterprise customers, particularly in the field of cost-effective diagnostic solutions.

Several states, including Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka, have expressed interest in adopting Hanooman, driven by its multilingual capabilities. Vardhan affirmed that SML is in touch with various enterprises and state governments, emphasising their commitment to healthcare and education. 

The announcement concluded with an update, clarifying that Hanooman is not part of the BharatGPT initiative and is a model developed by SML.