In a major push to integrate cutting-edge technology with India's traditional healthcare systems, the Ministry of Ayush and IndiaAI, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven innovation across the Ayush sector. The partnership aims to accelerate digital transformation, strengthen research capabilities, and build a technology-enabled ecosystem that combines India's rich traditional medical knowledge with modern AI tools.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Kavita Jain, Joint Secretary and Chief Vigilance Officer, Ministry of Ayush, and Shri Sudeep Srivastava, Chief Operating Officer of the IndiaAI Mission and Joint Secretary, MeitY, in the presence of senior officials from both ministries.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Kavita Jain highlighted the transformative role AI can play in advancing the Ayush ecosystem. She said that integrating Artificial Intelligence with Ayush would create new opportunities for evidence-based research, knowledge management, and innovation. According to her, the collaboration with IndiaAI will enable the ministry to harness advanced AI capabilities in key areas such as medicinal plants, drug administration, research, and capacity building, making the Ayush ecosystem more technology-driven and future-ready.
Shri Sudeep Srivastava emphasized the importance of combining modern technology with India's centuries-old traditional knowledge systems. He noted that the agreement would significantly enrich AIKosh, India's AI repository, by incorporating traditional healthcare datasets. This, he said, would empower researchers, practitioners, and innovators in the field of traditional medicine by providing access to AI-enabled tools and resources for developing advanced healthcare solutions.
Highlighting ongoing digital initiatives within the Ministry of Ayush, Shri Naman Goyal, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ayush Grid, said that the ministry is already developing AI-powered platforms under the Emerging Technologies component of Ayush Grid. He described the MoU as a significant milestone that would accelerate AI adoption across the Ayush ecosystem and strengthen the ministry's digital transformation efforts.
The collaboration is expected to focus on several critical areas, including AI-enabled research, capacity building, medicinal plant management, and drug administration. By combining the strengths of India's traditional healthcare systems with advanced AI technologies, the partnership seeks to create innovative, evidence-driven solutions that improve healthcare delivery and scientific research.
One of the key outcomes of the agreement will be the Ministry of Ayush's integration with the AIKosh platform. Through this initiative, the ministry will share eligible health research artefacts such as datasets, metadata, AI models, toolkits, and relevant use cases. This repository will encourage greater collaboration among researchers, developers, and healthcare professionals while promoting the responsible development of AI applications for traditional medicine.
The MoU also provides the Ministry of Ayush access to GPU-based and high-performance computing infrastructure through the IndiaAI initiative at subsidised rates, subject to defined service-level agreements. Availability of advanced computing resources is expected to address critical infrastructure gaps, enabling researchers to develop sophisticated AI models and scale innovative applications in healthcare and traditional medicine more efficiently.
Experts believe that access to powerful computing infrastructure will significantly enhance the quality of research, facilitate faster data analysis, and improve the development of AI-driven healthcare solutions tailored to India's traditional systems of medicine.
The partnership reflects the government's broader vision of positioning India as a global leader in digital innovation while preserving and promoting its traditional knowledge systems. By leveraging Artificial Intelligence alongside Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy, the initiative seeks to build a stronger scientific foundation for Ayush and improve its accessibility and effectiveness.
The Ministry of Ayush and IndiaAI believe that this collaboration will pave the way for a more innovative, evidence-based, and future-ready healthcare ecosystem, where technology and tradition work together to deliver better research outcomes, improved healthcare solutions, and greater global recognition for India's traditional systems of medicine.
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