In a moment of immense pride for India’s academic and tech community, Mitesh Khapra, Associate Professor at IIT Madras, has been named among TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for 2025. Sharing the stage with global leaders like Elon Musk and Sam Altman, Khapra is recognized for his pioneering work in natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning for Indian languages.
Academic Excellence Over Corporate Leadership
Unlike many others on the TIME list who lead AI companies, Khapra’s work is primarily academic and research-driven. He co-founded AI4Bharat, an initiative that develops open-source AI tools and datasets for Indian languages, empowering startups, courts, farmers, and government projects. His contributions make AI more inclusive, addressing the diverse linguistic landscape of India.
Transforming Voice Technology Across India
According to TIME Magazine, nearly every Indian startup working on regional language voice technology relies on Khapra’s datasets. While Western AI models perform well in widely spoken languages like Hindi and Bengali, they struggle with underrepresented languages.
To bridge this gap, AI4Bharat conducted an ambitious field project covering almost 500 of India’s 700 districts, recording thousands of hours of speech from individuals across diverse educational, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This initiative helped develop AI resources for all 22 official Indian languages, setting a new benchmark for inclusive AI research.
Driving Government and Global Impact
Khapra’s research has been central to the Bhashini Mission, a government initiative that uses AI to make digital services accessible in local languages. His datasets are also used by global tech companies to enhance AI models for Indian languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, and Bengali.
Inspiring a New Generation of Researchers
Reflecting on the evolution of language technology in India, Khapra stated:
“Fifteen years ago, an average PhD student in India working on language technology would mostly focus on English-related problems. Today, thanks to the availability of these datasets, I see a shift—more Indian students are tackling challenges specific to Indian languages.”
Recognition Among Global Leaders
The TIME 100 AI list is one of the most prestigious recognitions in technology, honoring researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers shaping the future of artificial intelligence. Khapra’s inclusion highlights India’s growing influence in AI research and innovation, inspiring a generation of researchers to focus on solutions that are locally relevant yet globally impactful.
