“India has such a long cultural history; it would be sad if that were lost if we started using Western models,” Werner Vogels, chief technology officer, Amazon, told ET in an exclusive interview. “We want to make sure that Indian companies that want to target the Indian market or sections of it have the right technology at their fingertips. And that includes those LLMs that are also incorporating Indian culture into it.”
Vogels said that language is more than just words, it incorporates history and that they need to make sure that that history doesn’t get lost.
“We already see a significant digital divide. Although I do think that a lot of activities, and a lot of projects here in India avoid falling into that divide…. India is extremely well positioned. I think given its technology history and the government’s involvement in many of these very large projects, Indian heritage and culture is safeguarded in these LLMs,” he said.
“But for the rest of the world, we need to make sure that these new large language models don’t create an even bigger divide,” he said.
Staying Indian
Discover the stories of your interest
The Amazon CTO said that the company is “agnostic where these LLMs come from”.
Even some of Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) large partners like Infosys or Tata Consultancy Services are building models where there are collaborations with the government and the universities, he said. “For younger businesses that are pursuing this, we want to be the platform through which they can serve these LLMs to Indian companies,” he added.
Vogels said that Indian companies that are targeting the local market should do this in “the most Indian way possible”. There are also many companies outside of India that would love to target the market, if they are more culturally aware in their systems, Vogels said.
“So, it’s not only opening up the Indian market for Indian companies, but also for companies from outside of India who then become more native in India if they use these native LLMs,” he explained.
Sustainability goals
Vogels claimed that Amazon is the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the world today.
“Companies are becoming more aware that everyone who uses digital systems has a responsibility to do this in the most sustainable way possible,” he said. So, one of his tasks is to make sure that he gives his customers data about how these systems are being used and how much energy is being consumed, he said.
The company has “been pouring enormous amounts of effort into sustainability”. “Now, we are the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the world,” Vogel said.
Next year, “all AWS regions will be 100% on renewable energy”, he stated. The hyperscaler has about 400 projects around the world — solar and wind — to ensure that all new digital systems that it is building “don’t ruin the planet at the same time”, Vogels said.
