Making AI Speak 9 Indian languages: Open-source Text-to-Speech Models

In a country as linguistically diverse as India, voice technology has the potential to transform how people connect with information, services, and each other. Yet for millions, this promise remains out of reach. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in collaboration with the BMZ initiative “FAIR Forward—Artificial Intelligence for All”, has worked on changing that. By building high-quality Text-To-Speech (TTS) corpora in nine Indian languages, IISc is laying the foundation for inclusive, accessible voice-based applications that serve people in their own languages and cultural contexts. These digital public goods for voice technologies unlock a wide range of applications—from voice assistants and screen readers to language learning tools, automated helplines, and accessible public service delivery. They empower users in rural and low-literacy communities to interact with digital systems in their native languages, bridging the digital divide and fostering more inclusive participation in education, healthcare, governance, and beyond. The IISc’s SYSPIN project focuses on nine languages: Bengali, Bhojpuri, Chhattisgarhi, Hindi, Kannada, Magahi, Maithili, Marathi, and Telugu, which have historically lacked the technological resources needed to support modern voice systems based on artificial intelligence (AI). IISc addresses this gap by creating 720 hours of studio-quality audio data.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) develops the guidelines and the fundamental concepts on which German development policy is based. German development policy is guided by the goal of improving living conditions for people worldwide. BMZ works to move the world forward in cooperation with the inter