Policy Roadmap for Inclusive Voice AI Launched at India AI Expo

The initiative seeks to establish a clear policy and practice framework to support multilingual, interoperable and accountable voice technologies — increasingly seen as foundational to India’s digital public infrastructure.

In a major step toward building an open, inclusive and responsible voice-first digital ecosystem, a comprehensive Policy Report and Developers’ Toolkit on voice technologies were launched at the India AI Summit Expo 2026 on February 20.

The initiative seeks to establish a clear policy and practice framework to support multilingual, interoperable and accountable voice technologies — increasingly seen as foundational to India’s digital public infrastructure.

Voice as the New Digital Gateway

In a country marked by deep linguistic diversity, voice technologies are rapidly becoming critical to digital inclusion. Speech-based applications are lowering barriers to access public services, financial platforms, healthcare, education and e-governance systems — especially for citizens with limited literacy or digital familiarity.

However, the rise of speech AI also raises complex challenges around:

• Data governance and privacy

• Inclusion and representativeness of Indian languages and dialects

• Openness of foundational models

• Quality assurance and evaluation standards

• Responsible deployment and misuse safeguards

The newly launched report and toolkit aim to address these gaps by aligning policy frameworks, technical standards and ecosystem coordination.

Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration

The Policy Report and Developers’ Toolkit were jointly developed by ARTPARK @IISc, Digital Futures Lab and Trilegal, with support from the Digital India BHASHINI Division and the FAIR Forward – AI for All initiative, implemented by GIZ (German Development Cooperation) and funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The collaboration brings together research expertise, legal and governance insights, technical know-how and international best practices to strengthen India’s speech technology ecosystem.

Policy Report: Treat Speech Data as Public Good

The Policy Report examines structural barriers across the speech AI value chain — from data collection and model development to infrastructure and governance.

Key recommendations include:

• Treating foundational speech datasets as digital public goods

• Improving openness and representativeness of speech models

• Investing in sustainable public infrastructure for speech AI

• Embedding safeguards to prevent misuse while enabling innovation

• Strengthening governance coordination across stakeholders

The report underscores that speech technologies should be built on open, inclusive foundations to ensure that smaller language communities are not left behind.

Developers’ Toolkit: Lifecycle-Based Approach

Complementing the policy recommendations, the Developers’ Toolkit provides a practical, lifecycle-oriented framework for building inclusive and robust speech AI systems.

It highlights structural gaps in India’s speech technology ecosystem, including:

• Uneven data representation across languages and dialects

• Weak quality assurance mechanisms

• Limited evaluation and benchmarking practices

• Fragmented governance and compliance structures

Recognising that exclusionary outcomes can be embedded at multiple stages — from product conceptualisation to deployment — the toolkit introduces a layered approach covering:

• Responsible data collection

• Model training and validation

• Bias mitigation strategies

• Deployment safeguards

• Continuous monitoring and evaluation

The toolkit consolidates best practices currently being adopted across India’s voice technology ecosystem.

Voice as a Pillar of Digital Public Infrastructure

Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO of the Digital India BHASHINI Division, emphasised that as India moves toward a voice-first digital ecosystem, strong policy foundations and practical implementation frameworks are essential.

“In a country of immense linguistic diversity, voice technologies are not merely an innovation — they are an instrument of digital inclusion,” he said.

He added that while policy recommendations provide ecosystem alignment, the Developers’ Toolkit translates principles into actionable practices across the AI lifecycle. He also highlighted the need for systematic re-engineering of existing digital and IT infrastructure to make systems voice-enabled, multilingual and interoperable.

Through collaborative efforts, he said, voice technologies can become a foundational layer of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure, bridging language, literacy and digital divides at scale.

Global Perspective on Inclusive AI

Dr. Ariane Hildebrandt, Director-General at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), described the report as a repository of best practices and lessons for policymakers and technologists alike.

“For millions of people, voice is the most natural and powerful interface to the digital world, especially for those with limited literacy or access to digital infrastructure,” she said.

When voice AI functions effectively in local languages and dialects, she noted, it becomes a gateway to public services, healthcare, education and economic participation.

Strengthening BHASHINI’s Multilingual Mission

Curated through consultations with linguists, AI ethicists and technical experts, the report and toolkit add momentum to BHASHINI’s expanding efforts to build multilingual, voice-first solutions for India.

As India accelerates its AI ambitions, the framework signals a shift from purely technological deployment toward structured, inclusive and governance-aligned innovation — ensuring that voice technologies evolve as open, accessible and responsible public digital infrastructure.