ITE&C Dept. Announces Statewide Datathon to Create a Telugu Large Language Model

The ITE&C Department of the Government of Telangana is excited to announce a groundbreaking datathon aimed at creating a Telugu Large Language Model (LLM) that preserves the rich cultural history of the Telugu-speaking people. This innovative event is a joint collaboration between ITE&C department and Swecha, which is conducted across all engineering colleges in Telangana. Emerging Technologies Wing will facilitate the event and Telangana Academy of Skill and Knowledge (TASK) will be the outreach partner for this activity. IIITH will be the research partner, while Ozonetel, DigiQuanta and TechVedika are industry partners. This event will be a precursor to the Global AI Summit to be held in Hyderabad in September.

The datathon represents a significant step towards collecting and digitizing a diverse range of Telugu linguistic and cultural resources. Participants will gather data from various oral sources, including folk tales, songs, local histories, and traditional knowledge about food and cuisine. By engaging with these rich oral traditions, the datathon will play a crucial role in preserving and promoting the Telugu language and its cultural heritage.

Swecha, a prominent organization dedicated to promoting free software and digital freedom, is the driving force behind this initiative. With its expertise and commitment to open-source technology, Swecha will provide the necessary technical support and guidance to ensure the success of the datathon.