New Delhi, October 7, 2025: IndiaAI has announced the selection of five research and development projects under its ‘Safe & Trusted AI’ initiative. These projects, chosen from over 400 proposals submitted during the second round of Expression of Interest (EoI), represent a collaborative effort to build indigenous tools and frameworks that reflect India’s socio-technical landscape.
IndiaAI – Building Guardrails for Responsible AI
The selected projects span three critical themes: deepfake detection, bias mitigation, and penetration testing for generative AI systems. Each initiative is designed to address specific challenges in the deployment of artificial intelligence across sectors, from media authentication to agricultural data fairness.
The announcement follows IndiaAI’s call for proposals issued on December 10, 2024, inviting academic institutions, startups, research organizations, and civil society groups to contribute to the development of governance mechanisms for AI technologies.
Selected Projects and Their Focus Areas
| Theme | Project Title | Lead Institutions |
|---|---|---|
| Deepfake Detection Tool | Saakshya: Multi-Agent, RAG-Enhanced Framework for Deepfake Detection and Governance | IIT Jodhpur & IIT Madras |
| Deepfake Detection Tool | AI Vishleshak: Audio-Visual Deepfake and Signature Forgery Detection | IIT Mandi & Directorate of Forensic Services, Himachal Pradesh |
| Real-Time Voice Detection | Real-Time Voice Deepfake Detection System | IIT Kharagpur |
| Bias Mitigation | Gender Bias in Agriculture LLMs and Digital Public Goods for Fair Data | Digital Futures Lab & Karya |
| Penetration Testing | Anvil: Evaluation Tool for LLM and Generative AI | Globals ITES Pvt Ltd & IIIT Dharwad |
These projects aim to translate the principles of safe and trusted AI into practical applications. From detecting manipulated media to evaluating fairness in language models, the selected proposals reflect a growing emphasis on transparency, accountability, and resilience in AI systems.
A Multi-Stakeholder Approach
The evaluation process was overseen by a committee comprising technical experts from academia, industry, and government. This inclusive approach ensured that the selected projects align with both national priorities and global standards for responsible AI development.
IndiaAI, functioning under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), continues to serve as the implementation agency for the IndiaAI Mission. Its mandate includes democratizing access to AI, promoting technological self-reliance, and ensuring that AI systems deployed in India are inclusive and secure.
The five selected projects are expected to contribute to the creation of digital public goods, enhance forensic capabilities, and support the safe deployment of generative AI tools. As India positions itself as a key player in the global AI ecosystem, these initiatives mark a step toward building a governance framework that is both locally relevant and globally informed.
