India’s public sector is undergoing a seismic shift. Generative AI (General AI) is emerging as a powerful tool to address long-standing challenges and create innovative solutions. And does it have the power to revolutionize governance, improve education and improve healthcare? The answer is a resounding yes.
The Bharat Innovators Series, organized by AWS in collaboration with AMD and YourStory, provides a deep dive into the transformative impact of generative AI (Gen AI) in India’s public sector. This three-part series will highlight how Gen AI is shaping governance, education, healthcare, and other critical sectors, highlighting its role in enhancing innovation and citizen services.
Setting the Stage for General AI in the Public Sector
The first episode, titled “Dawn of a New Era: Understanding General AI and Its Potential for the Public Sector,” Started with an insightful conversation led by AWS leaders Sunil PP, Kanishka Agiwaland Durga Prasad Kakaraparthi. Together, they explored the evolution of AI and its growing impact in various fields.
“General AI is everywhere,” commented Sunil PPIndia and South Asia Lead – Public Sector Channels and Alliances, AWS. “From small organizations to large enterprises, we’re seeing huge interest in Gen AI’s ability to scale and go to the next level. It’s an exciting time to be having these conversations.”
The episode began by exploring the evolution of AI and its real-world applications. Kanishka AgiwalHead of Service Lines for India and South Asia at AWS, reflects on the journey: “ML has been around for decades, but commercialization started around 2013-2014. Now, with Gen AI, we are seeing use cases that are not just ‘tick-the-box’ projects but initiatives that directly impact bottom lines, bringing efficiencies and driving automation.
He added: “These are projects that are becoming real and tangible, going beyond vanity ML initiatives to solving practical problems like cost optimization, better automation, and productivity.
Revolutionary governance with Gen AI
One of the standout examples discussed is the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), a procurement platform that serves millions of buyers and sellers. Durga Prasad KakarparthiHead of Solution Architecture, Public Sector, AWS, shared how Gen AI transformed the platform: “GeM wanted to engage more buyers and sellers in the fastest possible way. Using AWS services and Amazon Bedrock, it moved from idea to production in a few months. Its AI model now provides personalized recommendations and enhanced conversational interfaces, making shopping more interactive and efficient.”
Kanishk elaborated on the impact of such innovations: “The AI model elevated the entire conversation, enabling buyers and sellers to get personalized recommendations and find information quickly, otherwise they would have spent hours.”
Speakers also touched on how conversational AI is streamlining user experiences in fields ranging from travel ticketing to education. Kanishk illustrated this with an example: “Think how frustrating it can be to find out about fare rules or cancellation penalties when booking travel. With conversational AI, users can get instant answers and make faster decisions, reducing frustration and improving satisfaction.”
Durgaprasad added: “The time saved by using General AI can be redirected to focus on other priorities. This productivity boost will benefit both individuals and organizations, especially startups looking to create B2C solutions.
Unlocking new opportunities
Highlighting the role of Gen AI in startups, speakers shared inspiring examples like Bri Books, a platform that empowers young writers. Kanishk said: “Bri Books introduced BriBoo, a conversational AI that helps young writers overcome creative blocks by analyzing what they’ve written and suggesting next steps. This is a great example of how Gen AI can create meaningful solutions.”
Sunil highlighted another fascinating use case: an AI-powered question paper generation tool developed in collaboration with Digi. “We actually thought it might not work, but they went and made it,” Sunil said. The tool generates adaptive question papers, automatically adjusting the difficulty based on the student’s proficiency. Already implemented at six universities, it reduces faculty workload while maintaining high levels of accuracy — reported at 92%. Institutions like VIT and Manipal have signed up to test this innovation.
General AI in healthcare and government
One of the key areas where GenAI will have a significant impact is healthcare. AI-assisted diagnosis is proving invaluable, especially in reducing errors caused by human fatigue. Kanishk illustrates this with a hypothetical scenario: “A radiologist in a large hospital may review 300-400 scans a day. AI can help identify anomalies, reducing the risk of human error in severe cases.
Sunil also highlighted the widespread use of AI in the healthcare industry, saying, “Nine out of ten pharmaceutical companies worldwide use AWS GenAI today.” This widespread adoption points to the significant potential of GenAI in improving driving efficiency and outcomes in areas such as healthcare.
According to Durga Prasad, AI is improving operational efficiency, especially in the government sector. He pointed out that AI is increasingly being used to streamline state-sponsored insurance claims.
“When the number of claims increases, it becomes difficult to process each one manually, which leads to errors and fraudulent transactions. Leveraging AI reduces inaccuracies and speeds up the process. Some governments are already using it to great effect,” he explained.
Gen AI and Startups: Unlocking New Opportunities
For startups, the adoption of GenAI presents both opportunities and challenges. Durgaprasad emphasized the importance of being strategic in implementing this technology: “Identify the problem you’re trying to solve. GenAI isn’t the answer to everything, but it excels in areas like improving productivity, supporting decision-making, and enhancing the customer experience. The key is your Ensuring the data is ready—without structured or unstructured data, GenAI will not deliver its full potential.”
Cost efficiency also emerged as an important consideration. Durga Prasad highlighted the importance of scaling responsibly: “Frugal architecture is critical. You can have a great product, but if it’s not commercially viable, it won’t succeed. Balancing cost, accuracy, and scalability is a challenge that startups must navigate to ensure sustainable. growth.”
Confronting confusion in AI models
One of the challenges discussed was “illusion,” where AI generates fictitious or false data. Kanishk said: “Hallucination is when a model provides imaginary answers that were not part of its training data. Sometimes these responses are harmless, they can sometimes be annoying, unpleasant, or factually incorrect.”
Guardrails and safety measures are necessary to minimize these risks. “The focus now is on ensuring that models have the freedom to explore datasets and provide insights, they don’t fall into inappropriate or wrong territory,” he added.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Gen AI
The rapid growth of GenAI was another focus of discussion. Durga Prasad shared a striking comparison to highlight the pace of GenAI adoption: “Uber took five years to reach 100 million users, TikTok nine months and ChatGPT just two months. This shows the transformative power of GenAI, which is no longer limited to techies but for everyone.” accessible.”
As GenAI evolves, businesses must adapt their strategies to stay ahead. Durgaprasad concluded with a forward-looking statement encouraging organizations to explore the full potential of GenAI: “Each department, organization, and partner should explore how Gen AI can solve their unique problems while considering cost, scalability, and performance.”
From streamlining government claims to building cost-effective solutions for startups, Gen AI is reshaping how industries approach innovation. However, as the panelists emphasized, the key to success lies in aligning technology with specific business needs and constraints. With the right approach, Gen AI has the potential to revolutionize entire sectors and enable organizations to achieve new heights of efficiency and growth.