The invite-based event, titled “Reclaiming AI Infrastructure: Why AI hardware needs to be open, personal, and multilingual”, held on 17 February at Le Meridien New Delhi, was an exclusive gathering that convened 65 industry leaders across the funding and tech ecosystem. 

It offered a sneak peek of Current AI and Bhashini’s first collaborative build: an open source, multilingual, privacy preserving, offline, handheld prototype device. The event provided technology leaders, civil society, engineers, and maker communities with the opportunity to query and experience the device first hand.

Following a technical demonstration by Andrew Tergis – Engineer at Current AI, and Shailendra Pal Singh – Senior General Manager, Bhashini, participants were invited to test the boundaries of their imagination through a workshop to conceptualise unique use cases for the prototype. They were encouraged to think of applications that spark creativity in their own lives and communities, and to consider how and where the demonstrated prototype might benefit those whose voices and needs are rarely centred in big tech product design and deployment.

As Tergis explained, “This is a public good hardware designed to perform AI inference, and it can fit in your pocket. The device works through a simple interaction: press, speak, process, and receive a response. It allows anyone to build on top of it, develop applications, and extend it with sensors, cameras, or audio interfaces.”

Singh further highlighted the technical breakthrough underpinning the device: “We’ve quantised to a point where our model can run offline within tight memory and hardware constraints. This kind of end-to-end integration and democratisation is something we should be celebrating.”

Remarks from Ayah Bdeir – CEO, Current AI, and Martin Tisné – Founder and Chair of the board, Current AI, anchored the evening, raising critical questions around who gets to design and develop AI products, and what it means for individuals and communities to have a meaningful voice in how AI is built and used.

Bdeir reflected on the shift in how people engage with AI: “Over the past few years, AI has remained abstract, living in the cloud and feeling distant from everyday life. People have traditionally turned to AI only when they needed it. We want AI to be useful and seamlessly integrated into daily life without feeling intrusive.”

Tisné added a broader systems perspective: “India’s linguistic scale makes it a natural focus for AI centred on diversity and cultural preservation. The real challenge is fragmentation. What’s powerful here is the shift towards a movement that unites a strong community of builders.”

Sushant Kumar – Founder and CEO of Kalpa Impact, offered a clear framing for what comes next: “The first priority should be ensuring AI delivers tangible, real-world impact by improving people’s lives. The second, to democratise AI by opening up both hardware and software for broader participation. The third should be to ensure AI remains responsible and beneficial without amplifying harm. The broader vision is to create an ecosystem that enables continuous and inclusive innovation.”

Echoing this momentum, Amitabh Nag – CEO, Bhashini, noted, “We are now at a point where we can open up a diverse range of technologies and make them more widely accessible.”

Across the event, the recurring message was clear: the future of AI must be shaped by a wider set of voices, experiences, and contexts. Building AI that is personal, local, and multilingual is a collective responsibility, shared by governments, builders, and communities alike.

Read more details about the prototype