Indian AI Brings Voice Assistants to Basic Nokia Phones

Imagine asking your basic Nokia phone for help finding government benefits or local markets, all in your native language, without needing internet. That future just arrived in India.

Sarvam, an Indian AI company backed by major venture firms, announced plans to bring conversational AI assistants to Nokia feature phones, cars, and smart glasses. The breakthrough lies in their tiny AI models that take up only megabytes of space and can run on existing phone processors without internet access.

The company demonstrated the technology at India's AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. A user pressed a dedicated AI button on a basic feature phone and spoke naturally in their local language to get guidance on government programs and neighborhood information.

Sarvam partnered with HMD, which makes Nokia phones, to deploy the assistants across their device lineup. This matters because millions of people in India and developing nations still use feature phones instead of expensive smartphones.

The company also teamed up with Qualcomm to optimize their AI models for the chipmaker's processors. Qualcomm is developing a "Sovereign AI Experience Suite" that will work across phones, computers, cars, and other connected devices.

"Through edge AI, we want to bring intelligence to every phone, laptop, car, and even a new generation of devices," said Tushar Goswamy, head of Edge AI at Sarvam. Running AI at the edge means processing happens on your device instead of distant servers, keeping data private and costs low.

Sarvam is also working with German engineering giant Bosch to add AI assistants to cars. The startup revealed its own AI smart glasses called Sarvam Kaze, designed and made in India, which will launch in May for developers.

The Ripple Effect: Until now, AI assistants required expensive smartphones and reliable internet connections, leaving billions of people behind. Sarvam's approach flips that equation by bringing sophisticated voice AI to the cheapest phones.

For users in rural areas with spotty connectivity, offline AI assistance could mean the difference between accessing crucial government services or missing out entirely. Parents could get health information for their children, farmers could check weather patterns, and small business owners could find new customers, all through simple voice commands in their mother tongue.

The shift also signals Sarvam's move from serving businesses to reaching everyday consumers. The company previously focused on enterprise customers using its voice models for customer support.

Technology keeps getting more accessible, one innovation at a time.