India has marked a decisive turning point in its artificial intelligence journey with the formal launch of the Indian AI Research Organisation (IAIRO), signalling a shift from policy formulation to sovereign execution. Launched in New Delhi on January 30, 2026, IAIRO is envisioned as the execution engine for India’s AI ambitions, with a focus on converting research and intellectual property into deployable, population-scale systems.
The launch was accompanied by a position paper titled “Sovereign AI for India’s Strategic Autonomy”, authored by Dr Amit Sheth, Founding Director of IAIRO. The paper emphasises the importance of strengthening India’s strategic autonomy by building AI systems governed by national institutions and aligned with domestic priorities rather than external dependencies.
Aligned with the IndiaAI Mission, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the Gujarat AI Action Plan, IAIRO will focus on advancing frontier AI research, creating sovereign intellectual property, retaining top global AI talent within India, translating research into real-world deployments, and supporting evidence-based policy for secure and trustworthy AI.
Unlike consumer-oriented large language models that are often monolithic and resource-intensive, IAIRO will prioritise next-generation AI systems that are custom-built, compact, and domain-specific. These include neurosymbolic and hybrid agent-based frameworks designed to be more cost-effective while supporting mission-critical enterprise, governance, and strategic applications.
Commenting on the launch, Dr Amit Sheth said India is moving decisively to ensure its AI future is built in India, for India, and governed by Indian institutions. He noted that IAIRO has been created to convert national AI ambition into deployable systems, sovereign intellectual property, and long-term national capability, while consciously avoiding consumer-centric AI approaches that are rapidly becoming commoditised.
This approach aligns with recent remarks by Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw at the World Economic Forum, where he underlined the need for India to chart its own AI path, including the development of small language models. Referring to those remarks, Dr Sheth said India’s AI agenda has now entered a mission-mode phase that demands dedicated institutions, long-term capital, deep talent pools, and strong translational capabilities — needs that IAIRO has been designed to address.
Established as a public–private partnership and headquartered in GIFT City, Gujarat, IAIRO brings together frontier research, ecosystem partnerships, talent development, and real-world deployment under a single national mandate. The organisation aims to build for artificial intelligence the kind of concentrated national capability that ISRO created for India’s space sector, with a sharp focus on measurable outcomes and sovereign technological leadership.
IAIRO’s founding team includes Prof. Ramesh Jain, Prof. Dev Niyogi, Prof. Sanjay Chaudhary, Juhi Bhatnagar, Selvam Velmurugan, and Dr Amit Sheth. Its advisory council features leading global academics and industry experts from institutions such as Ohio State University, Penn State University, IBM Research, Google, DeepMind, OpenAI, Apple, and Amazon. The organisation’s board comprises industry and policy leaders including Dr Ajai Chowdhry, Prof. Rajat Moona, and Smt. P. Bharati, with an approved expansion to include Shri Sharad Sharma, Shri Abhishek Singh, and Prof. Ramesh Jain.
As India prepares to host the AI Impact Summit, the launch of IAIRO reflects a broader national intent to pair ambition with institution-building and innovation with sovereignty, positioning India not just as a participant in the global AI race but as an architect of its own AI future.
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