IIT Madras’ Mitesh Khapra Named in TIME’s 100 Most Influential in AI

Sept 3,  2025 – Mitesh Khapra, an Associate Professor at IIT Madras in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, has made it onto TIME magazine’s esteemed annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in AI, alongside notable technology figures like Elon Musk and Sam Altman. 

TIME has described Khapra as a key figure whose research is transforming the academic landscape of AI in India.

Unlike many others featured on the list who represent major commercial AI companies, Khapra's acknowledgment originates from his academic leadership and commitment to fostering language-inclusive AI in India.

The IIT professor has co-established AI4Bharat, an innovative initiative that creates open-source tools and datasets with the goal of making AI more accessible within India's varied linguistic context.

His team at AI4Bharat conducted an extensive data-collection project, amassing thousands of hours of voice recordings from nearly 500 Indian districts, which encompass diverse demographics, professions, and all 22 official Indian languages.  This dataset has become fundamental for the innovations of regional language AI startups and serves as the foundation for India’s Bhashini mission, which supports about 80% of its data infrastructure.

Indian entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani, in recognising Khapra’s achievements, pointed out that creating high-quality indigenous language datasets could significantly hasten the implementation of AI in India—underscoring AI4Bharat’s contribution to equalising the opportunities in Indian language technology.

With Media Inputs

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