Prajna.AI to debut on Ugadi

Tumakuru: A ChatGPT-like artificial intelligence system entirely in Kannada, named ‘Prajna.AI’, took its first step on Saturday at Sridevi Institute of Engineering and Technology in Tumakuru. Trust Chairman Dr. M R Hulinaykar inaugurated a high-performance computing cluster featuring the 48 GB NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation Graphics Processing Unit, marking the formal launch of the ambitious project.

Developed in collaboration with Bengaluru-based Kannada Ganaka Parishat, the initiative will be executed by the college’s students under faculty guidance. The goal is to build a Kannada-centric large language model that can serve as a comprehensive digital repository of Kannada literature, culture, history, and arts, while also handling everyday queries like global AI tools.

Dr. Hulinaykar expressed pride that the project was flagged off during Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations, adding that the first public version of Prajna.AI will be released to Kannadigas worldwide on Ugadi 2026. He called it a historic moment – the first time a full-fledged generative AI system is being exclusively built for Kannada in India.

Kannada Ganaka Parishat Secretary Narasimhamurthy urged the team to transform Prajna.AI into a living encyclopedia of Kannada heritage, benefiting government, researchers, and the global Kannada diaspora. “Let us together harness technology to serve our language,” he said.

Present on the occasion were Medical Director Raman Hulinaykar, HR Director M S Patil, Principal Dr. Narendra Vishwanath, faculty members, and students.