Inside India's Deep Tech Momentum: Are AI-Powered Devices The Next Frontier?

By Chitranshu Mahant

India’s deep-tech ecosystem is entering a pivotal moment, shifting from including AI inside individual apps to building it into the operating system itself. At this system layer, AI doesn’t just respond. It can “see” what’s on screen, act across files, apps, and settings, and shift demanding work to the cloud, like calling in a supercomputer to help, but in real time, so you don’t feel any delay. Crucially, it’s designed to run smoothly on affordable hardware, support India’s multilingual reality, and stay resilient even when connectivity is uneven.

The value is clear: instead of multiple clicks and copy-paste, system-level AI can summarise on-screen text, translate instantly, find a file or setting in one search, or draft an email from highlighted text. For a student preparing notes, a coder juggling projects, or an SME owner managing invoices, workflows that once took minutes collapse into seconds.

The Urgency for AI-Powered Efficiency

AI assistance is no longer reserved for premium devices. In the under-Rs 20,000 device segment, users now expect intelligent features such as summaries, translations, and unified web and system searching.

With online courses booming, the government’s upskilling initiatives and small businesses going digital, AI has become an everyday necessity, not a luxury. Students need fast answers in the middle of class; shop owners need invoices translated or digitised; schools require simple, low-cost tools for labs.

Privacy is equally vital. When AI processes documents like mark sheets, invoices, or IDs directly on the device, it avoids sending them to the cloud. That’s what builds the trust India’s mass market demands.

Beyond Chatbots: AI That Executes, Not Just Talks

Users now expect AI that does the task, not just advises. That means opening apps, finding files, changing settings, filling forms, renaming documents, or even completing end-to-end workflows like:

• Download a PDF → extract a table → make a sheet → email it to X.

• Take scanned receipts → convert them into an expense sheet → send for approval.
• Fill out a form → auto-attach required documents → submit in one click.

Because it’s screen-aware, AI can read a webpage, form, or image, extract what matters, and connect it to the next step, no manual copy-paste required.

Besides, AI is gradually moving towards proactivity: spotting due dates, flagging missing attachments, detecting broken links, and suggesting fixes before they become problems. A universal command bar can remove context switching by letting users launch apps, run shortcuts, install tools, and ask questions in one place.

AI is also becoming multimodal, supporting voice commands, scanning QR codes or documents, and extracting data from images to trigger instant actions.

Personalisation, Accessibility & Enterprise Readiness

AI can adapt to individual routines, naming patterns, folder structures, or frequently used contacts, while keeping sensitive data processing on-device.

It also has to work through patchy connectivity: queuing actions offline, then syncing and restoring, once back online. Accessibility features like live captions, reading aids, and real-time translations ensure inclusivity across classrooms and workplaces.

For enterprises, these devices go beyond productivity. They reduce compliance overheads, create audit trails, and ensure teams follow standardised workflows.

India’s Unique Conditions as a Catalyst for Innovation

Designing AI devices for India means designing with constraints in mind.

• Affordability first: Advanced AI must run on entry-level CPUs and RAM, without spec bloat.

• Connectivity gaps: Devices should save answers temporarily, keep working without internet, and update everything once you’re back online.

• Multilingual workflows: From Hindi-English hybrids to regional scripts, AI must scan (OCR), translate, and transliterate while preserving terms like GST or KYC.

• Document-heavy use: IDs, PDFs, forms, and tables dominate daily life. AI should extract fields, validate data, and guide users step-by-step.

• Education & skilling: AI-powered devices must act as safe, easy-to-deploy digital tutors, particularly for labs, classrooms, and government skilling programmes.

• SME productivity: Voice-to-action AI can pull data from invoices, rename files, or set reminders automatically, turning everyday admin tasks seamless.  

• Efficiency by design: Battery-aware AI should pause/resume gracefully, minimise background use, and manage thermal load for durability.

• Trust & compliance: On-device processing, privacy-first defaults, and transparent permissions are non-negotiable.

The Future of AI-Powered Devices in India

India’s digital adoption demands AI that is practical, responsive, and rooted in everyday realities. The next frontier is AI-powered devices that assist and anticipate simultaneously. How? By predicting actions, adapting to habits, and embedding themselves naturally into life and work. 

For India, that means having affordable AI-powered devices that balance performance, privacy, and inclusivity. These devices can thereby open up productivity for millions of students, coders, creators, professionals, and small businesses.

What makes this vision especially relevant for India is its diversity of languages and cultures. The IndiaAI Mission and its dataset platform AI Kosh are creating the foundation for AI that understands local scripts and mixed-language use. At the same time, BharatGPT, designed to be multilingual and multimodal from inception, shows how homegrown AI can directly serve Indian users. 

Together, these efforts highlight how AI-powered devices can bridge digital divides, make technology inclusive across regions, and set the benchmark for the next generation of computing in India.

(The author is the CEO and Co-Founder, Primebook India)

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and views of ABP Network Pvt. Ltd.